


This is all too hard to explain

by Velocity_Owl87



Series: Loup!Verse [12]
Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternative Universe-Werewolves, Clans, Gen, Kidnapping, M/M, Mating, Multi, Past Abuse, Politics, Recovery, Turf wars, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-01
Updated: 2012-06-23
Packaged: 2017-11-06 12:22:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 47,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/418892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velocity_Owl87/pseuds/Velocity_Owl87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an uneventful game in Edmonton, Ryan Miller wakes up in the woods, naked and horribly wounded. Luckily, he gets found by Sheldon Souray. Unluckily, he's now a werewolf and now has to survive wars, politics, mating and dealing with broken beings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hard to Explain

**Author's Note:**

> This is basically the story that started the Loup! Verse. A one off turned into a series of 12 works and a couple of side stories. This one has finally been found and now uploaded to AO3. I do apologize for any mistakes. I was writing at a really hard time in my life and these really helped me get through that time. So yeah. I hope you enjoy!

Hard To Explain

_“I missed the last bus,_

_I take the last train._   
_I try, but you see it’s hard to explain.”-The Strokes  
_   
Ryan Miller wakes up cold and annoyed. The annoyance raises several notches when he realizes he’s cold because he’s completely naked.  
  
Fucking bastards must have slipped him triples instead of doubles the whole night and decided it would be utterly hilarious to leave him lying in a different room somewhere in an unknown hotel in an unknown city. They were going to pay for this that was for sure. After he got them the shut-out against Edmonton too, they had to go and play a prank on him. He wasn’t laughing. He would make them pay as soon as he completely woke up, found some clothes and found his way back to his own hotel room  
.   
Those are the first thoughts that come into his head when he finally cracks his eyes open...only to see the bright autumn foliage rather than the bland cream colour of his hotel room ceiling. Puzzled, he blinks his eyes a couple of times to clear his vision of what he hoped were the after images of a dream.  
  
That notion was quickly dispelled by the clear and stark outlines of the half-stripped branches above him.   
“What the hell?” he mutters as he rubs his face and sits up to get a better bearing on his surroundings. Or he tries to, but fails when a sharp, almost ripping pain shoots through his body. Grimacing, he looks down and nearly passes out when he sees the large, bloody, half-healed wound on his left side. The pain becomes worse now that he’s seen the mess of torn muscle and flesh his side has become and it takes all his strength to not start screaming like a bitch.  
  
“Oh God, Oh God, Oh God...” he starts up the litany, his eyeballs swimming with the effort to not pass out or throw up. He’s not sure which one of the two he’s going to do. As the pain mounts, he thinks he could go for passing out, but with the jagged wound in his side needing attention ( _and oh fuck...is that the gleam of bone he sees in there?_ ) he knows he’s going to have to collect himself and go get some kind of help.   
Ryan folds his body in half and cries out at the movement, but the instinct to curl up into a small as possible ball and cradle the pain wins out. He wraps his right arm around the ugly chunk of missing flesh and closes his eyes to cope with the agony. Part of him wants to give in and pass out and to hell with the injury. He’s panting already and his eyes are tearing up. He knows he can’t stay there. He really has to suck it up and get a move on.  
  
Besides, he’s going to have to face the lecture from the coach sooner or later. Even if it isn’t his fault, since he absolutely has no idea how in the hell it would be possible for him to end up in such a bizarre situation. Being naked in another room, yes, it’s weird, but manageable and something he usually recalls whether he wants to or not. Finding himself lying in a wooded area with a potentially fatal injury, not so much. He just hopes that help comes and it’s not some jogger or some little kid coming across his naked ass. He winces and tries to push that and other unpleasant things out of his mind. If he doesn’t move, he’s not even going to get to experience that.  
  
He wipes his eyes angrily and takes a few deep breaths to get a grip. He moves slightly and even that movement makes him see stars. He stops, pants heavily and tries again. This time, he gets off the ground, but not by much. His right arm is still curled up against his abdomen, despite knowing that he needs both hands for leverage if he’s even going to get on his knees. He grits his teeth and forces himself to press both hands flat against the crushed grass and lets out a sharp yell when his hands slip on the slippery grass, making him fall on the ground and land on his side. He’s breathing too fast and he knows, from the sharp copper-penny tang now filling his nostrils that the reason why the grass is slippery is because it’s soaked in blood. _His blood.  
_   
He’s hurting too bad too move now. Just those attempts took it out of him and he’s in so much pain that he’s past caring about anything. If the agony stops, he’ll happily lie there until the trees and leaves covered him up completely and made him part of the forest floor. He gulps in a few deep breaths and turns his head to let his cheek rest on the bloody grass. He should be grossed out, but it feels good and cool against his feverish skin that he doesn’t care if he’s wallowing in his own blood.  
  
Ryan lets out a few whimpering mewls and his hands dig into the foliage. He doesn’t want to die, not really. But he’s too tired to do anything...his eyes close and his breathing starts slowing down from the frantic, panicky gasps to the deeper breathing of looming unconsciousness. The forest, the sharp, now throbbing pain and the sharpness of decaying greenery are all fading away into a black void when he hears the footsteps.  
  
At first, he thinks it might be his heartbeat that he’s hearing, but the crunching sound of leaves underfoot makes him aware that it’s not that at all. He tries to turn his head and open his gummed up eyes to maybe see if he’s going to be saved or not, but he’s not got enough strength left even for _that_. He snuffles a bit and tries to open his eyes. He gets them open a crack and that small victory gives him enough of a boost to turn his head. It’s just a fraction, but he manages it, nonetheless.  
  
Unfortunately, his efforts simply lead to him coming almost nose to nose with a pair of well-worn work boots that are only half-tied up. He can also see that the owner must have slipped them on in a hurry, since there’s only dusky olive skin peeking through where the hems of ragged old jeans don’t quite meet the tops of the boots. He groans softly and hopes to God that he doesn’t look as pathetic as he feels.  
  
Especially not in front of the person that is there to hopefully save his ass and get him somewhere safe.  
  
Ryan’s heart sinks when he hears a long string of soft curses. Maybe he is going to die in this wooded area after all. His rescuer doesn’t sound sympathetic at all. Shocked and surprised: if the swearing is anything to go by. Yes. Pissed off: most definitely. Sympathetic and willing to help: not so much. Yep. He’s royally screwed. He’s so going to die here, naked, bloody and covered in dead leaves. Great. Just what he wanted to be remembered for. Not his great record in the leagues, or his charity work. Oh no. No. He’s going to be remembered as the naked, dead goalie found in the woods after a night of drinking gone wrong. He was going to be one of those horrible warning stories that they tell all the minor league players...oh God...  
  
Crunching leaves right by his head stop his self-pitying monologue and the sudden shock of a hand grabbing his hair and lifting his head roughly stopped any thoughts cold. His mind was blank and in pure shock when he reflexively opened his eyes and found himself face to face with an extremely livid Sheldon Souray.  
  
Wait...Sheldon Souray? What the fuck?  
  
“...bad enough someone got bit last night, but it had to be Ryan Miller on top of that. Fucken great! How are we going to explain this?” Ryan’s eyes nearly bugged out of his skull when he heard the end trail of Souray’s blistering monologue. Bitten? What? Wait?  
  
Ryan must have made some kind of noise that made Souray’s attention focus on him and not on the unknown person he was taking his ire out on, because he found himself looking into golden eyes that he _knew_ were normally deep, dark brown. Noticing the confusion and shock on the other man’s face made Souray give him a somewhat sympathetic smirk.  
  
“Sorry. I’m really sorry Miller. You never should have gotten attacked. Believe me when I tell you I’m really sorry this had to happen to you. Remember that in the next few nights. I’m really sorry...”   
  
Souray must have said more, but Ryan stopped listening, darkness finally having come to take him from the bewildering nightmare his life had just become.  
  
*~*~*~*~  
  
It’s all confused images straight out of what he thinks hell would be. There’s pain and blood and the sounds of bone snapping and muscles tearing. His vision is filled with flashes of white and black, but it’s mostly red. Sort of as if he’s looking at the world through a blood-red mist. Then there’s the physical agony. He thinks that he might have been crippled when he felt his spine elongate and snap into a completely different arrangement altogether. His skull feels like it’s about to explode in shards. His hands feel like the bones are splintered into a million pieces and curled up into fists. It all comes so fast and feels so permanent, he’s afraid that he’s been mangled for life.  
  
But this does eventually stop and when it does stop, he doesn’t think he’s himself anymore. His thoughts are swirled and simple: get out, run and hunt to fill the great hole of hunger that has opened up in him. There’s nothing else he wants to do, but feel the squirming of an animal between his jaws and the crunch of bones and flesh when he bites down on it.  
  
He can’t escape and fulfill this desire. He’s got no way out, despite it smelling like he does and that infuriates him badly enough to voice his anger and displeasure. It does get him something to ease the hunger, but he does wish that it could have been something much fresher than what he’s given. Still, it tastes good and it’s enough to ease the hunger that sprung up. He does still wish that he could be under the moon though.  
  
When it’s gone, the desire to be out in the moon comes back twice as strong and the bloodlust that fills him can’t be appeased. He wants to smell blood and feel bones crunching and twisting between his jaws. He wants it so badly that he ends up in a blackout rage full of violence and frantic fury that even when they come to stop him, he nearly overpowers them all before a hard blow to his skull makes everything turn into a muddy black and white mist before he doesn’t feel anything more.  
  
~*~*~*~*   
When he wakes up again, he’s lying in a bed, between crisp, clean sheets. He can smell the scent of dryer sheets and the subtle scent of soap, shampoo, anti-bacterial ointment and the odd, medicinal scent of bandages also. He’s inexplicably relived at finding himself clean, although he’s a bit puzzled at the antiseptic scents of bandages until he recalls the wound. He lifts the sheet and the shirt he was dressed in and is glad to see it bandaged up. He tugs a bit at the bandage and gasps at the sight of it. Although angry and pink, it looks like it’s almost fully healed. Exactly how long was he out for?  
  
Frowning, he pats the bandage back in place and it is then that he notices his left forearm is also bandaged up to his elbow. When he does a more thorough check of his body, he finds more bandages around his right lower leg, his left shoulder and even one at his temple. He gets the itchy feeling of stitches at the crown of his head and raises his hand to touch them when the door to the room he’s in opens. It’s Souray, now completely dressed in fashionable, yet nondescript clothes. His face is as expressionless is as if it was carved out of wood and his eyes are still that weird gold colour that Ryan remembered from the forest.  
  
“What’s going on?” Ryan asked abruptly, the stitches in his head forgotten for the time being.  
  
Souray looks down at him and it’s then that the impassive mask cracks just a bit.  
  
He pulls up a chair and sits down on it heavily, exhaling loudly as he does so.  
  
“You ever hear of the _loup-garou_?”


	2. If You Believe In Me, How Can I Be Dissolving?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Surely reality has to step in and stop this nightmare.

_“Bring your secrets to me,_

_Just give me your hands_

_And I’ll let you feel the wounds they put in me”-AFI_

_-The sight of those eerie gold eyes was still unnerving, despite him having seen them earlier. Ryan knows that it’s part of that confusing time, but his brain doesn’t want to process it. Right now, he’s simply focused on the unnatural colour of the irises and the tense stillness of Sheldon Souray sitting in the chair beside the bed he’s currently occupying._

_Sheldon is saying all these things that simply can’t be. That he has changed and isn’t the same species, never mind the same person that he used to be. Part of him knows it’s true, but part of him is just hoping that everything is just bad vodka and even worse dreams. Ryan Miller is not part of some shadowy species as Sheldon Souray is now telling him he is. He’s human! He’s not a mythical being. He’s not...he’s not a monster._

_Ryan thinks that he may have said the last thing out loud, since the other man’s eyes turn a normal dark brown before he reaches out to him.Ryan notices the half-healed marks of a really nasty looking bite on Sheldon’s arm and wonders what could have done that to him. He knows it’s rude to ignore what the other man is telling him, but he can’t help to focus on that injury. Despite it being light scar tissue in some parts, in other parts it’s still jagged and torn flesh showing deep pink and some dark red. It looks awful and painful, almost as bad as the wound he got in his side and he can’t help but to wince in sympathy. Sheldon stops his movement and looks down at his arm once he notices Ryan’s gaze is fixed on the wound._

_“That’s your work.” Sheldon tells him matter-of-factly as he pulls the sleeve down in a jerky, fumbling motion that is strongly at odds with the casualness that he wants to convey to Ryan._

_He doesn’t know if it’s the sight of the wound or the mixed signals coming from Sheldon that make whatever it is snap in his mind. He was done trying to figure this cloak and dagger shit out. He had to get the hell out and fast. Ryan shook his head and fought to sit up in the bed. He was strong enough to do it. He knew he was...but his body felt like rubber. It wouldn’t cooperate and he needed to get out of there and get back to his normal life without_ loup-garou _and only the pressures of his career and his ambitions to deal with. He was NOT a fucken fairy-tale creature come to life!_

_“I’m not a monster! I’m not! This is all a big mistake! I didn’t do that to you! I can’t...it’s not...” Ryan started to wheeze frantically as he tried to either get away from Sheldon or the truth of his situation, he wasn’t sure. All he cared about was easing the pressure in his chest and getting out of that bed and air...oh god, he needed air, his body felt like it was going to explode and that pressure was choking him, suffocating him and who was that saying things to him and why was he engulfed in an embrace that smelled like pine..._

The first thing that came to his mind when he opened his eyes was embarrassment. He couldn’t believe that he had freaked out that badly in front of Sheldon Souray after he had been given the reason for his injuries and what he had thought were nothing more than crazy nightmares, but had, in fact, been reality.He had basically acted like a little girl and hyperventilated himself into unconsciousness again. He had more dim memories of Sheldon holding him and trying to get him to breathe normally and that deepened his mortification even further.

“Oh my God.” He mumbled and scrubbed at his face and frowned. He was about to push his hair away from his face and paused as he realized that something was kind of off. No, in fact, make that extremely off. In mid-action, he stopped and touched his cheek and chin again. He had just shaved a few days back and it felt like he hadn’t swiped a razor across his face in weeks! What the fuck!

“It’s not a big deal. Not a big deal. It’s just been a weird few days or so. Nothing more to it...” he tried to convince himself as he pushed the tangled covers back and planted his feet squarely on the ground.He pushed himself to his feet and was relieved to find that he was standing perfectly well on his own. None of the disorientation that he had been plagued with earlier was bothering him now. Pleased with his progress, he shuffled over to the door and opened it, not sure what to expect on the other side of it.

“Nice to see you up and sane, Miller.” Jose Theodore greeted him, his hands wrapped around a steaming mug of coffee as he stood there wearing an old t-shirt and a pair of plaid pyjama pants.

“Theodore? What the hell are you doing here?” Ryan blurted out, not sure what else to say in the current situation. Jose only raised an eyebrow and pointed to a half-open door down the hallway, his expression one of light amusement at Miller’s reaction at his presence. Ryan did remember later that the amusement failed to reach Jose’s eyes, which were slightly too wide and anxious the whole time that he was giving Ryan the instructions that Sheldon wanted passed on.

“Bathroom’s there. Sheldon said to tell you to get cleaned up and to see him in the kitchen.Bye.”He said as he then took a sip of his coffee while Ryan blinked as his bruised brain tried to make sense of yet another thing that was refusing to conform to his usual view of what normalcy was.

Jose swallowed his coffee and sighed a bit impatiently at Ryan’s slowness. “I swear that everything’s going to make sense once you get yourself sorted out. Don’t forget to shave, trust me on that one. Now go.” This last bit was followed by painfully sharp poke in his still sore side before Jose wandered off to another room.

“Fucker.” Ryan couldn’t help but to mutter as he rubbed at his side before following instructions.He went to the bathroom and flicked on the light.

 _“How bad could it be?”_ he asked himself before he flinched at the sight being reflected back. He looked like he had been out in the woods for months; judging by the heaviness of his beard and the length of his hair, which was now a little past his shoulders where previously it had only been long enough to tuck behind his ears.

“Damn it! Fucker was right.” Ryan exclaimed as he peeled off the bandage at his temple and opened the medicine cabinet to look for shaving cream, a razor and hopefully a toothbrush and toothpaste. To his relief, he found everything that he needed, pulled it out and arranged it around the sink. He closed the cabinet and was about to start getting sorted out when he caught a whiff of himself.

“Jeezus!” He exclaimed. He smelled fucking awful! Like he had been exerting himself constantly and rolling around in crushed pine needles without bothering to shower between bouts.It was a mixture that reminded him of the smell of his first car, oddly enough.That was probably the first and last time he had ever bought those damned rear-window air-fresheners.

Grinning mirthlessly at the memory, he took off the t-shirt he had been wearing and let it drop to the tiled bathroom floor. He debated keeping the bandages on his arm, shoulder and torso, but figured that they were probably going to get nasty and wet and tore them off. And got another surprise.

The flesh was smooth, although pink and tender looking under the bandages. What he had known to be a hole in his side was now nothing more than shiny new tissue covering a good-sized chunk of his torso.Gulping down a deep breath to counter act the wave of dizziness that revelation had stirred up, he peeled off the bandage on his lower leg and found the same amount of scarring there too.

 _“You have to admit it now. There’s no way that a human would be able to heal that without some serious hospital time”_ his mind taunted him as he shucked off the shorts that were the last of his clothing and stepped in the shower.

He kept his mind carefully blank as he fiddled with the taps to get the water temperature just right.He knew it was all true. He couldn’t lie to himself anymore. It would just be too pathetic and foolish to pretend it wasn’t true when it was all but beating him on the head with the evidence. Something had attacked him during his blackout, taken a chunk out of him and passed this...disease? Curse? Whatever the fuck it was, on to him. He wasn’t Ryan Miller, normal human any longer. He was _loup-garou_ , just like Sheldon had been telling him all along.

“Aw fuck!’ Ryan groaned before he punched the shower handle and got a face full of hot water at the wrong time.

He wasn’t amused.

~*~*~*~*~

Sheldon stood in the kitchen and slowly drank up the only cup he had gotten from the first pot of the day. He eyed the coffee pot and stifled a groan when he saw that there wasn’t enough for another cup of coffee. Not that it was such a chore to make the coffee. No. What he hated was the whining that would accompany the wait for the coffee to be made by Theo and when there, Carey and some of the other younger ones. Those were the times when he really hated being in residence, since he couldn’t always restrain himself and there would be dishes and cups that would need to be replaced.

He could have moved to the dining area, but he knew that he would just be called into the kitchen to make more coffee, so he stayed where he was.Yep, that was the entire reason. But it wasn’t. If he was being honest with himself, it gave him and excuse for hiding out until he could get his thoughts sorted out in a better semblance of order.

“He’s taking a shower, so that gives you plenty of time.” Sheldon jumped and hit his head on the open cupboard door right in front of him.

“Jesus fuck man!” he exclaimed once his eyes stopped watering. He turned around and glared at Jose, who was standing at the kitchen entrance with a bemused, yet strained expression on his face.

“Sorry. I thought you knew I was there. You making more coffee?” Jose asked innocently as he looked at the nearly empty coffee maker with a meaningful glance.

“Make it your damned self, Theo. Fuck, couldn’t you make more noise next time? That fucking hurt!” Sheldon growled at him, rubbing at the knot that had formed on his forehead. Jose pouted and sighed as if it was a tedious chore, but he went into the kitchen, gave Sheldon a light pat on the forehead and busied himself with the coffee-maker.

They remained in silence for a few moments before Jose cleared his throat nervously and looked over at Sheldon almost timidly before he spoke. Sheldon picked up his cup and frowned at the little bit left. He had sloshed some of it when he had been startled by Jose. He put it down and wiped up the spills, all to hide his disappointment. Jose’s playfulness never seemed to last long these days before the twitchiness invariably took over.

“I’ve checked everyone out already. They’re all accounted for. Sorry.”

Sheldon stopped rubbing his forehead and looked sharply at Theo, who physically cringed under the weight of his gaze. If he had been in his second form, he would have more than likely been tucking his tail between his legs or baring his belly in submission. Jose wasn’t _that_ weak, but Sheldon was unusually powerful as a full-blood. No matter how the length of time that they spent together, Jose had never been able to differentiate between Alphas and their power.

The sad thing was that once he was away from Sheldon, he was a fairly normal and easy-going kind of guy. On occasion, he could be that way within Sheldon’s vicinity. Hell, he could even be playful. But when push came to shove, Theo was always going to be submissive towards his second Alpha. That was just the way that the cards had fallen for him.

Keeping this in mind, Sheldon took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.He couldn’t afford to get his subordinate riled up and useless if they were going to solve the problem of who had illegally turned Ryan Miller. The council was already hounding him mercilessly and he was just barely doing his best at keeping them away from Miller, who had taken an exceptionally long time to come out of the transition phase after he had been changed.

He opened his mouth but Jose cut in quickly. “I also checked the morning and the night before. Everyone has solid alibis for the entire period of time. Ryan’s scent should give us a clue once he gets cleaned up.”

He turned back to his task and nearly dropped the coffee-pot into the sink because his hands were shaking so badly. Sheldon closed his eyes and counted backwards from ten. Really, Theo was fucking brilliant, but that high-strung nature of his was a bitch to deal with.

Once he had finished counting, he put his coffee down and slowly walked over to the other shifter and put his hands over José’s to stop the shaking and hopefully save the coffee-pot. They had already gone through three coffee-makers when he had lost his temper at an inopportune time and he was damned if he would lose another one. Besides, this one had that cool timer thingy and had the coffee ready and waiting whenever he desperately needed his caffeine fix.

“Sorry. I know you won’t do anything, but...” Jose stopped when Sheldon took the pot from his hands and finished filling it with water. He gave Theo an understanding pat on the shoulder and finished making the coffee himself. Just like he always ended up doing.

“I know. Don’t worry about it, okay. You did a good job.” Sheldon reassured him as he flicked the switch and waited for the coffee to be ready. He moved and pulled the smaller shifter into his arms, holding him until his heartbeat had slowed down to a normal speed, which was a few beats faster than a normal humans’.

“So where do you want me to look now?” Theo murmured as he leaned back into the warmth of Sheldon’s broad chest.Sheldon sighed and rested his chin on the top of Jose’s soft black hair and thought. So far, their leads were nil locally. He was going to have to cast his net wider if they-

“Uh...oh shit. Uhm...Carry on. Sorry...I was just...” Ryan Miller was standing in the doorway in only a towel that showed off the angry marks of his attack. His face was a dark pink and he was trying to look everywhere except at the two men in front of him. Clearly he thought he had stepped into an intimate and private moment, which really wasn’t the case per say.

“What is it, Miller?” Sheldon asked calmly as he held on to Jose and waited for the new loup-garou to get his control and to stop babbling and being embarrassed. It wasn’t that Sheldon wanted to make him squirm, but Ryan had to know that there were different rules within the community and better he learn quickly rather than make a possibly serious transgression in the future.

“I don’t have anything clean to wear.” Ryan replied quietly. His face was less pink, but his eyes were trained on the kitchen tiles. Sheldon stifled a sigh at that. At least he wasn’t shaking so hard that his teeth were chattering, which was a good sign all in all.

“Sorry. I forgot about getting clothes for you. Come with me, I’ve got some things that will fit somewhat.” Sheldon said as he stepped away from Jose. He gave his subordinate a meaningful glance and Jose gave him a small smile and a quick nod of the head. Sheldon inwardly sighed in relief. Good.

He walked past Ryan and down the hallway towards the room that was more or less his whenever he needed to stay at the pack house. He didn’t bother looking behind him; he could sense that Ryan was following right behind. Not as meekly as Theo would, but not as confidently as an alpha would either.He brushed that aside as he pulled the closet door open and started looking through the hangers and shelves. He’d bring it up with Theo soon. Surely he would have some kind of answer.

When he found something suitable for Ryan to wear, he turned around and met Ryan’s eyes. To his surprise, Ryan didn’t look down or away. He met Sheldon’s eyes dead on for almost a full minute before he looked down at the clothes he was getting, which made Sheldon inexplicably relieved and happy. Huh. That was new. He shut that train of thought down and shoved those feelings away to ponder another time. He then handed Ryan the bundle and moved over to the dresser to see if he had any new boxers for him.

He hit gold in his second try and pushed the unopened package towards Ryan, who was looking at the shirt and jeans a bit sceptically.

“Trust me. I know they’re a bit big, but that’s the closest you’re going to get to your size here. Theo’s too slight and Price is almost the same size as me. Maybe Shane...but I don’t think he’s got anything here. Get dressed and come out to the kitchen. We seriously need to talk and you probably need to eat. It’s been almost a week since your last meal.” Sheldon told him before he patted him on the shoulder and walked past him to get back to the kitchen and to brainstorm some more ideas with Theo. Or at least that was what he told himself.

Ryan didn’t say anything and only watched as Sheldon left. He couldn’t, really. Sheldon unnerved him in more ways than just sheer physical presence. There was something about the way that he spoke and touched and _looked_ at him that made him, that made him...Ryan frowned. Made him what, exactly? He couldn’t really pin-point what it was about Souray that made him both want to submit to him, but also challenge him.

He shook his head and set the clothes down on the queen-sized bed that smelled strongly of that sharp pine scent that was under laid with something feral and musky as well as tangy.As he inhaled the scent that wafted up from his action, a sudden flash of long, powerful and sweat-slicked olive limbs intertwined with his own sprung up in his mind. His cock hardened and it was all he could do to not come in the towel right then and there, so strong was the desire for that to happen.

The intense need for that to happen was so strong that it made him gasp. Where the hell had that come from? He quickly took a couple of mouthfuls of air to clear the scent from his nostrils and wasted to time in getting dressed. He couldn’t stay in that room any longer. Not if he wanted to keep his head clear and get his ass back home again and away from the constantly weird surprises that kept springing up.

His hands shook as he pulled each item of clothing on his body. He was desperately trying to calm down, but the new desire to fight or fuck wasn’t letting him. He felt like his entire body was aflame and his skin was too tight for his body. The wild, woodsy scent was driving him crazy. Even when he sprayed some cologne on him, he could still smell it under the other chemical scents.

He wanted release and he knew, as the blood pounded in his ears and his vision started to go that misty red that Sheldon was the only one who would get rid of the madness one way or another.

~**~*~*~*

When Sheldon got back to the kitchen, Theo had already fixed him up another cup of coffee just the way he liked it: lots of cream and two sugars. 

“Here.” Theo handed him the cup and waited until Sheldon had taken a long swallow before he spoke. He was still on edge, but had calmed down significantly since Sheldon had reassured him with physical contact.

“Thank you.” Sheldon said after he had swallowed the coffee. He eyed the coffee pot and was glad to see it was still full at a good level. Idly, he wondered if Ryan liked coffee. Most shifters liked caffeine, but he wouldn’t be surprised if Ryan turned out to be an anomaly in that area as well.

“I didn’t pick up anything from his scent, to tell you the truth.” Jose stated as he took a sip of his own coffee. Sheldon raised an eyebrow and made a mental note to switch to decaf. Maybe that would make Theo less edgy. It couldn’t really hurt to try it.

“I know. He sort of smells like Carey. You know, cedar and maple mixed with musk, but there’s a bit of pine scent too. That’s what’s throwing me off. The pine scent.” Sheldon told Theo as he took another swallow of coffee.

Theo tilted his head to the side and looked at Sheldon through narrowed eyes. Sheldon buried his nose in his cup and refused to look at Theo.

“Don’t say it, Jose. I’m warning you.” Sheldon whispered softly, the warning all too clear in his words. Theo straightened his head and sighed.

“Would it be that bad? I mean, it worked out the last time, you know.” Theo commented as he looked down at his cup. Sheldon growled at that.

“The last time, there wasn’t an option. It had to be done. But I don’t think that’s the case with him and I really don’t think you should even consider it. At least not this early in the game. We have to figure out who turned him and fast before the council decides that he’s going to go mad and euthanize him.” Sheldon replied tartly, making Theo’s shoulders hunch up almost to his ears.

“But it could help with that if you just...” Theo’s murmured protests died out the minute that Ryan appeared in the kitchen. His eyes were huge and brilliantly copper-washed and his expression was feral and almost deranged as he looked from Jose to Sheldon, who were watching him in surprised anticipation.

“Oh shit.” Jose whispered, his hands tightening around his cup as he watched Ryan sniff the air around him first and then around Sheldon, who had surreptitiously put his cup down on the counter and stood there in preparation for whatever would come next.

It was Sheldon’s scent that triggered Ryan’s bloodlust.

With a snarl, Ryan threw himself at Sheldon, who was waiting for the attack. With surprising agility and speed for his size, he grabbed Ryan before he could even take a shot and shoved him against the wall. With both hands, he grabbed Ryan’s wrists and pinned them above his head. He waited until Ryan was done struggling and snarling half-choked threats and pleas at him before he attempted to talk to him.

“Ryan! Ryan! Hey! It’s okay. It’s okay. Calm down. It’s cool.” Sheldon repeated those phrases over and over, but they didn’t seem to have any effect on Ryan. If anything, they were making him even more determined to get free and tear Sheldon apart. He renewed his struggled and tried to bite Sheldon’s throat. He would have, if Sheldon hadn’t pulled back almost at the last second.

The attack pissed him off and he was done trying to be gentle with the other shifter. There was no fucking way that he, an Alpha, was going to let _anyone_ take a shot at him and let them get away with it. Snarling, Sheldon took a step back to brace his feet.He shifted his grasp from Ryan’s wrists to his upper arms, lifted him away from the wall and slammed him hard enough against the wall to stun him.

Without a word, Sheldon used his body to pin Ryan against the wall, push his head back and bite down on Ryan’s exposed throat. Ryan struggled, but Sheldon bit down, teeth not quite breaking the skin as he did so. But hard enough to leave a deep mark and to show that he was the Alpha and Ryan better not forget it.

Sheldon had expected for Ryan to either whine or submit, or snarl and fight again, like most other shifters did when shown dominance.

Ryan did neither. Instead, he shivered and pressed himself against Sheldon hard enough for the Alpha to feel the erection the entire incident had caused Ryan. Sheldon pulled away, but Ryan whined deep in his throat and exposed his throat even more to Sheldon, showing both submission and desire.

“Looks like you got another marked mate after all.” Jose noted coolly in the suddenly calm kitchen, making Sheldon groan inwardly.

Just fucking great.


	3. Last Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If I explain it all, you'll never understand what happened last night

_“People they don’t understand_

_Or girlfriends, they can’t understand_

_Your grandsons, they ain’t ever gonna understand,_

_On top of this, I ain’t ever gonna understand...” –The Strokes, “Last Night”_

As Jose’s words flatly fell into the kitchen, Sheldon swallowed hard as he fought against the urge to leave the house altogether. Once again, he found himself in a situation that forced his hand. The first time, he had made the choice to go through with it out of a mixed sense of duty and love. It was love that won out, despite what the rest of the councils, both Eastern and Western, thought at first.

Sheldon knew what Carbonneau thought of him. Most of the time, it didn’t fucking matter to him. He knew his reasons and that was good enough for him. He also knew that he had the muscle to back up anything that anyone would say or do against him based on these erroneous assumptions. Not to mention if they ever dared to act against Jose. He had enforced this protection enough times to make it stick and woe betide anyone stupid enough to try anything a second time.

What he couldn’t guard against was how he could and often would, end up making decisions to hurt Jose.

Knowing this full well, Sheldon met Jose eyes and tried to put all these incoherent thoughts and emotions into words to explain the situation to Jose. But the longer that they held each other’s eyes, the harder this was becoming.

 So Jose and Sheldon simply kept starting at each other as Sheldon held the squirming Ryan against the wall. He had stepped back from the new _loup-garou­_ , but when Ryan had realized that Sheldon wasn’t touching him, he went completely ballistic and tried to attack the other shifter.

Sheldon knows what he has to do. Jose knows it too. Sheldon wishes that Jose would say something, _anything_ to make it less seedy than it seems. But Jose won’t even _talk_ to him. His eyes are wide and gold and there’s a sarcastic twist to his mouth that Sheldon knows all too well from the bad days.

But he won’t speak. Won’t say anything to make the situation easier to handle.  Won’t ease the guilt he feels about the impulses he has to quell.

That is what really hurts.

It’s not like he _planned_ for this to happen! He had always been careful about being bitten since that first time he met Jose. He hadn’t meant to get careless when they were dealing with Ryan. No one would have guessed that he would have been so _violent_. Nor that he would have happily torn anyone apart that got too close to him.

The worst thing is that Jose knows all of this, but he still won’t say anything.

Sheldon knows he _shouldn’t_ give in to his silent demands. After all, Jose is _his_ subordinate.

He knows this and still, he opens his mouth to reassure the other shifter, despite having an armful of twisting and squirming Ryan to contend with. Despite knowing full well he’s as close to abasing himself for an extremely low-ranked shifter.

His pride as an Alpha is snarling in full anger at him to not do it. He also knows if this were to get out, he would have to fight for his position again. And fighting at thirty-three is different than it was at fifteen. Especially when he would be fighting pups a decade younger with more blood-lust and speed than he’s got at the time being.

But Jose is determined. And the one thing Sheldon has learned from his subordinate is that just because he is lower-ranked and a part-blood, Jose won’t easily be dissuaded once he sets his mind on a course of action. Jose’s rank doesn’t make him weak. And it’s a lesson Sheldon has had to re-learn over and over again.

And today is no exception to that rule.

“Don’t. Just don’t. You’ll regret it if you do and that’s the last thing that I want you to do.” Jose finally whispers, his eyes shifting from gold to silver and back to their usual brown.

“Just...I’ll do more work. Contact Carbonneau and Lundqvist and see what they can tell me. Just go.” Jose orders him before he puts the empty cup down in the sink and walks out of the kitchen with that weird, stiff walk that signalled he was in the grips of an emotion he didn’t dare let out. He was too well-trained by his first Alpha and no matter how long he had been away from him, the training always held fast with Jose. More than with any of the others, that was for sure.

It gives him the way out. But it doesn’t give him any absolution. No. He will have to find that later and very possibly on his own. For now, he needs to take care of Ryan and consummate their bond. A bond he’s not sure how to feel about, if he is honest with himself.

He doesn’t stop to think about it further though.

Ryan’s so wound up that if he doesn’t get sexual release, he’s going to go for the next best thing. And Sheldon really isn’t up to fighting off and possibly breaking Ryan’s neck this early in the morning.

~*~*~*~*

He’s shivering as he sits in the opulent bathtub. The water is almost freezing and he can feel his heartbeat slowing down because of the temperature, but he won’t get out of the water until he’s completely clean. The soap and shampoo is a thick scum on the surface, mingling with the brown streaks of the blood he scrubbed off earlier and is still scrubbing away. Even though he knows that there’s no more blood or leaves or dirt on his body, he still feels disgustingly filthy.

He’s already brushed his teeth five times, stopping only when his gums started to bleed and when he had to throw his toothbrush away. He knows that there’s nothing left of that night. He can only taste minty toothpaste and his own flesh. But he can’t forget the taste of flesh and blood and how the dark-haired man had looked at him in shock and utter betrayal that mirrored what he had felt inside the whole night.

He didn’t mean to do it. He didn’t even know what was going on. In fact, it wasn’t even _supposed_ to happen. None of it was! He had promised! It wasn’t going to touch any of them! He had promised them! And that was the promise that was the most important of all and he had broken it!

How could he lie to them like that? To his own sons, the people he had held in such high regard above others? Why would he do that? Why did he always lie? Why?

“No...no.no.no.no...” He whispers and starts rocking back and forth, making the water wave precariously close to the lip of the tub.

He does this for several minutes, until the shakes and horror abate somewhat and he’s able to see how sitting in bathtub full of scummy and cold water isn’t going to help in his quest to get clean. Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he pulled the plug and watched as the dirty water drained out of the tub, leaving the sides grimy with dirt, dead skin and soap.

He pulled himself to a standing position and climbed out of the tub and walked over to the shower stall that was not even five feet away. He fiddled with the taps this way and that until he got the temperature just right and turned on the shower. He hissed a bit at the sudden heat, but forced himself to stand under it until he was sure that everything left over from his bath had been rinsed away. It was only then that he blindly groped for the shower gel and shampoo.

Once he was completely clean, he padded into the hotel room and sat down on the unmade bed. He had to make a decision where he was going to head next. He shouldn’t stay anywhere near the scene of the crime, so to speak. Not to mention that despite the big shopping mall and the famous Whyte Avenue, famous both for its nightlife and the Hockey Riots of 2006, there wasn’t that much to keep him in town.

 He snorted at that, but pushed any judgements out of his mind. He wasn’t one to throw stones when it came to overzealous hockey fans torching parts of their city when their teams did something extraordinary. He dimly recalled Montreal ablaze the last time that the Cup had been brought back to Canada. But that was neither here nor there.

So if he was fully aware of all that, why wasn’t he leaving?

 _“Because you want him with you, don’t you?”_ his mind taunted him. He knew it was true, so he didn’t even bother to try and lie to himself there.

It had burned him when he couldn’t go back and take the dark-haired man for himself. Not to eat, but to...here he blushed furiously as he tried to censor his own thoughts on the matter.

He didn’t understand that simmering desire that had been unleashed in him ever since that night. He couldn’t understand it. After all, he was way more into women, so why the hell was he lusting after a man that was, in all honesty, pretty plain, thin and unremarkable looking in all ways? And why did he want to track him down so badly and claim him?

He growled in remembered anger at having being stopped by the appearance of the other coppery-skinned man. He had meant to help. He honestly did. But _he_ had appeared and it all had gone to hell. He had to flee and run in the woods for the next while, hunting when his mind was gone and pondering where his prey had gone once he had regained enough of his wits to come back again.

He could ask his father...he shook his head. No. That would be a last resort. He doesn’t even want to think about what he would say once he told him of the situation. Not to mention the fact that they didn’t have those kinds of relationships with each other. No.

Who else?

He flipped through his mental contact book as he wandered about the room and started to get dressed. Only one name really stuck out in his memory, namely because he had been the only one pissed off and crazy enough to take on his father and give him enough of a wound that he still carried the scar to the present day.

Smiling grimly to himself, he finished getting dressed and tapped at his laptop, which came to life easily. After a quick search, he had the number and without any more preamble, he dialled it.

One ring...two rings...

_“Oui, Allo?”_

~**~*~*~

“Come on. It’ll be okay. Trust me...” he trails off when Ryan lets out a high-pitched whine and rubs his rock-hard cock against his thigh. He only just manages to keep it together enough to haul Ryan to the master bedroom. If he hadn’t such an iron will, he would have already been all over the younger shifter, making him snarl and howl as he’d bury himself into that long, lithe body.

Sheldon shudders and clamps down on his imagination. He needs to focus on Ryan’s needs first because the second part of the consummation isn’t always the less painful of the two actions.

Gritting his teeth, he slams the door shut with his foot before he lays Ryan down on the bed. Ryan complies, almost passively and lies there, watching as Sheldon carefully takes off his clothes. Sheldon notices, almost dispassionately, that Ryan’s eyes have shifted to a dull, silvery blue.

He’s afraid. Good. That means he’s still got some sense left in him.

Almost all at once, the memory of another time comes to him. This time, the shifter is more delicate and more battered and wounded. His eyes had been a dull reddish-gold and there was no resistance. Only a passivity that had both scared and angered him at the same time had been the only reaction until it had been done.

But Sheldon pushes that away and focuses on the present. He doesn’t know whether this time it will be easier or harder without the passivity. He hopes not, since it’s hard as hell under any circumstance.

Once Sheldon’s naked, he moves over to the bed and lies down on his side close to Ryan, who turns his head and looks at him curiously. His breathing’s still ragged and short and Sheldon can see the throb and jump of his pulse beating in the hollow of his throat.

He doesn’t say anything to Ryan. Just moves so that he can take off Ryan’s clothes with slow, perfunctory movements. Ryan’s confused, but won’t say anything. He knows, despite the earlier aggression he displayed, he’s out of his depth. He’s not the bridegroom. He’s the virgin here and the analogy makes him swallow and shiver in mixed fear and anticipation.

“It’s all right.” Sheldon soothes him before slides his body over Ryan’s.

Ryan melts the minute that he feels that solid warmth on top of him.

Sheldon doesn’t say anything more as he mouths soft, wet kisses down Ryan’s cheek, jaw and throat. Those kisses make Ryan even harder than he already was at the beginning. He doesn’t know how he hasn’t exploded from not getting any release yet. A release that he hopes won’t be delayed any longer than it has been in the past while. He really wants this. Needs this and if he doesn’t get it...the thought trails off when a familiar angry heat rises in him and his vision goes misty and slightly red again.

Sheldon realized what was going on and deftly moved his attentions down to Ryan’s chest, making the other loup-garou whine and moan and forget his blood-lust. Sheldon kept licking and sucking on Ryan’s nipples, while his hand wandered further south.

Ryan keened and tried to move away from the intruding digits, but Sheldon reached up with his other hand and kept him still as he continued his exploration. Ryan relaxed slowly as he became used to the caresses that were starting to make him see stars whenever he closed his eyes. He gave up any pretence of fight and let Sheldon do whatever he wanted if that meant he was going to keep getting this kind of pleasure from it.

Sheldon was pleased with the way that Ryan had gone almost boneless once he had found what he was looking for. Satisfied with the reaction, he moved up the length of Ryan’s body and claimed his mouth with an aggressive kiss that both showed his pleasure, but also would muffle sounds to come. This was scarily practical, Sheldon knew, but he hadn’t a choice.

Just like the time before.

He really hated it when history kept on repeating itself, he thought before he willed his hands to shift. He pulled back briefly to make sure that Ryan was still saturated in bliss before he said a quiet prayer before he struck.

~*~*~*~*~

Jose slammed the door to the room he had designated his office shut. He knew that it was a childish way to vent his anger at an event that none of them had any actual choice over, but at least it let him have an outlet for his feelings so that he could concentrate on his actual tasks. After all, he had promised to gather more information on who had infected Ryan as well as having to placate the council that wanted the entire thing solved a week ago.

Sighing he rubbed his eyes and pretended that the tears were out of anger rather than any other emotion. He knew that he shouldn’t care about the situation. That it was fairly foolish for him to feel as if he had to share his favourite toy with a stranger that had suddenly become a relative.

He knew all of this and tried to work through all of the emotions with logic. Or better yet, push them all away and pretend that none of them had any effect whatsoever.

Jose smiled bitterly at the last and sat down in front of his laptop. He knew that it wasn’t going to work. Nor would the feelings fully go away until Sheldon himself came and reassured him in the calm and patient way that he always did whenever he got too twitchy.

Yeah, he knew what that word meant. Had heard it used to refer to himself all too often in the past seven years. He couldn’t help to be too attuned to his Alpha’s moods. Lack of wariness in the past had cost him heavily and he was still paying for those lapses in judgement.  Thank God the nightmares were coming less frequently nowadays and the scars had more or less faded into nothingness. Jose’s pretty sure that if those things hadn’t happened, he would have lost what had remained of his mind a long time ago and forcing Sheldon’s hand in the process.

The thing is that despite how careful Sheldon is regarding his emotions and his motives, Jose _knows_ there’s more to their situation than Sheldon has let on. Jose knows that at the most, he’s an accidental, but cherished mistress. At the least, he’s an embarrassing concubine that was implicated as a minor pawn in a power struggle that he had no say in. Sheldon keeps very quiet about the whole thing and never flinches when it gets brought up in dealings with some of the Eastern council.

It makes Jose both love and hate him for it and also to realize that ultimately. Jose hates him because of Sheldon’s unflinching courage to keep him as his right-hand despite his diminished powers due to his diluted lineage. He wishes, sometimes, that Sheldon would have taken the offer for Crobsy or even Fleury when he had the chance. His standing wouldn’t suffer as it has with Jose.

Not to mention his reputation. Whatever the East whispers behind Sheldon’s back, Jose hears clearly. They think Sheldon simply was at the wrong place at the wrong time and he has to make the best of it. After all, they all knew what Jose’s function was before Sheldon got entangled with him.  Most of them think that it’s a mixture of pity and lust that keeps them together.

And now, with Ryan, that tarnishing will spread even further. Sheldon will have to prove himself even more now and Jose’s angry and sad enough for Sheldon. He knows he will fight beside Sheldon if that happens, but he still wishes that Sheldon won’t have to face that. He just hopes that the situation gets solved quickly enough to not let it get that far.

But Jose also loves him because Sheldon saved him in every sense of the word. It’s not a reaction to finally escaping his prior hell. No. He’s healed enough and grown up enough to understand that it’s not misplaced gratitude. He knows what he feels for his Alpha is that.

He shuddered at the thought and resolutely forced himself to focus on the tasks before him and to think of nothing else until Sheldon summoned him.

Clicking a few keys here and there, he was able to come up with the information he wanted and got busy contacting the shifters that he needed to confirm the perimeters of what they knew so far. Sighing, he pulled up the spreadsheet he had come up with after Sheldon had brought Ryan to the house. He had colour-coded the clan information and the members of each to make it easier to read and to keep track of. Sometimes, it got too complex to keep track of it another way.

Sighing, he picked up a pencil from the Habs cup that Sheldon had given him ages ago and pulled up a half-filled loose-leaf notebook and looked down at the names on it. So far, he had LeClaire and Carbonneau for the East Pack and Lundqvist and Ovechkin for the United European Collective. Jose snorted when he read the names. Not that it was horribly funny or anything like that. But with all the ties to folklore and such, he always assumed Ovechkin and the Russians would shift into bears. Ovechkin himself was hairy enough to pass for one.

He shook his head to clear the misplaced amusement and picked up the phone to call the Eastern pack first. LeClaire was a sweet kid. But also proof of how sometimes, it was wise to take in some humans into the bloodlines once in awhile. Or else even in human form there could be signs that someone wasn’t quite as normal as they claimed to be.

Not that he was in-bred. No. Just the product of too much secrecy and paranoia on his family’s part. They tended to go odd, the small town loups. He was glad that his family had decided to branch out, even if it meant weaker powers than the others.

He toyed with the idea of genetics for awhile as he waited for the call on the other end to get picked up. He had studied it in his mythical high school days and had gotten so far as to scribble a few genetic symbols before he heard a rough voice answer him in accented French.

“Theodore, is it? What’s happened there now that you’re calling us?” Jose smiled when he heard the familiar voice of Guy Carbonneau instead of LeClaire’s young voice. Although technically the young loup was the head of the East, Carbonneau was the one that held the real power behind the throne, so to speak, since LeClaire was still too green and had had the misfortune to have been drafted by a team too far from his power-base to actually rule efficiently when the title came to him.

“Nice to hear from you too, Carbonneau. How are things out there?” Jose asked, snickering to himself when he heard the old wolf grumble at the question. He answered him in the same language. Despite being in Anglophone communities, he never forgot his mother tongue and took every chance he could to speak in it whenever he could.

“The usual power-struggles, Theodore. What do you think? _Caliss!_ I can’t wait for the kid to come of age! At least it’ll shut Roy up about being slighted for the regency!” Carbonneau replied, making Jose scratch out a note on his notebook. Power-struggles were always important to keep track of, just in case they needed to switch or cultivate new alliances with the different factions jockeying for power.

“So in other words, nothing different there. Listen, I’m sorry to bother you, but we have a newly-turned loup here without a progenitor, so to speak. His scent’s giving us no clue because it has been compromised. I’m hoping you could send us a list of yours so we can cross check them with ours.”

Carbonneau made a noise low in his throat at the request. “What do you mean that his scent has been compromised?”

Jose cleared his throat. “Exactly that. He was pretty vicious when he was turning. He bit Souray.”

Carbonneau laughed. “He really has got to be more careful, or else he’s going to find himself with a harem, and I know he’s got a hard enough time hiding you from the rest of the world.”

Jose growled at that. It was true, but it didn’t mean that he wasn’t touchy about the situation.

“I’m not saying it to ruffle your fur, Theodore. Just stating facts. So you want a list of all our people and where they were during that time, _C’est correct?”_

 _“Oui, C’est correct.”_  Theodore replied.

“I can have it ready for the afternoon at the earliest. Give the kid something to do. Also...who was the one that was turned, if I may ask?” Carbonneau queried.

“Ryan Miller. Souray found him almost dead. The Council wants it cleaned up and shut up as quickly as possible. If we don’t find his progenitor, he could be put down as a stray.”

Carbonneau exhaled loudly enough for Jose to hear it. “It would be utterly unfair for that to happen, even if it is the law and it is there for a reason. I’ll do my best. The fax and email are the same then?”

Jose nodded, forgetting that Carbonneau couldn’t see him. “Yes. I’ll keep an eye out for them. Thank you. “

“Always glad to help. Bye.”

Jose smiled slightly as he pressed the end call button on the phone and laid it back in its cradle. He made another note in his notebook and was about to call the European wolves when horrible shrieking interrupted the quiet of the house.

 _“Tabarnak!”_ He swore as he leapt out of the room and into the hallway. He hurried to the master bedroom and wrenched the door open and nearly gagged at the scent of fresh blood.

“What the hell happened here?” he asked Sheldon, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, his naked body covered in so much blood, he wasn’t sure if it was his or Ryan’s. There weren’t too many visible wounds, but some injury had to be the cause of all the blood.

“Something...something...it was different...” Sheldon muttered as he covered his face with his hands, his eyes distant as he looked at Jose.

Jose went over to him, but paused right in front of him when he noticed the window had been violently smashed, letting the cold late autumn air in.

“Where is Ryan?” he asked, despite knowing full well what the answer would be.

“Gone. He’s...we have to go after him.” Sheldon finally answered, snapping out of the shock he had been in when Jose burst into the room.

“What? Why?” Jose asked as he watched Sheldon shakily stand up and move somewhat painfully into the bathroom attached to the master bedroom.

“When it happened, his mind couldn’t take it. He’s let his animal instincts come forward.” Sheldon replied before he stepped into the shower stall.

Jose felt the blood drain from his face at those words.

“Shit. He’s feral.”

 


	4. Lovely Creature

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunt and retrieval mission and more information regarding Ryan and Jonathan comes to light.

There she stands this lovely creature   
  
There she stands, there she stands,   
  
With her hair full of ribbons   
  
And green gloves on her hands”- Nick Cave, “Lovely Creature”   
  
  
Jose stood at the window, his eyes trained on the grey sky outside as he waited for Sheldon to make a few phone calls to the loup-garou in the area to keep a look out in case they had seen Ryan running about. Although both of them knew that it was a long shot, they still made the effort to employ all the resources that they had at hand. They were working against the clock and with any luck, they would get Ryan back before the council decided to get involved.   
  
Jose hoped that it wasn’t going to come to that. But he was a pessimist and was sure that this was going to not turn out as well as they all hoped. In preparation for the hunt (Sheldon hadn’t been amused when he had termed it as such, but in his mind, that was exactly what they were doing. Ryan was like an animal at that point in time and would have to be treated as such until they got him back to his senses) both he and Sheldon had gotten dressed in their oldest pair of jeans, t-shirts, hiking boots and thick plaid shirts. They would be running, so there wasn’t any point in wearing heavy jackets. Not to mention fighting with a feral, which would probably mean whatever they would wear wouldn’t stay in one piece.   
  
His hand beat a rapid rhythm on his thigh as he waited. He wanted to be out there, but he also knew it would be pretty stupid to run out following a scent trail and nothing more. There was also the fact that Ryan was not to be underestimated. He was fighting himself too much and that gave him more strength than the average newly turned loup. Jose himself wasn’t going to be of much help in the physical department and Sheldon had been quite hesitant when he had voiced his desire to come along. Ryan already had displayed a deep antipathy towards Jose and Sheldon didn’t want to risk his second in command. But Jose had insisted in coming along. There had been something left in the room that had triggered something all too familiar in his subconscious and he was determined to follow it through.   
Even if it meant that he would get shredded in the process and possibly force both Sheldon’s hand and the council’s in the matter. This would only mean one outcome for Ryan. One that they would do their best to hopefully avoid with careful planning.   
  
Jose shuddered at the thought. Ryan didn’t deserve to be put down like a rabid animal. Yes, it could be argued that he had already crossed that divide, but still. He was a victim of very sick circumstance and he deserved enough of a chance to save himself. None of it was his fault.   
Jose’s mouth stretched itself into a taut line as he thought about the possibility of them not being able to catch him before the council patrols did. They could argue on Ryan’s defence, but if they looked at the records...he shivered slightly and wrapped his arms tightly around himself. It wasn’t going to happen. They would get him back. There was simply no question about it. They would get him back.   
  
“And when you get him back? What will that mean for your position? Are you that eager to be the second concubine in the equation?” His mind hissed at him. He pressed his lips together so tightly that they went bloodless white. He knew it was just his insecurities loud and clear in his mind at the time being. There was no reason to think that Sheldon would even think of replacing him with Ryan. But the old fear was still within him, no matter how much proof he got otherwise from his Alpha.   
  
“You have to admit that it did happen already.” He gritted his teeth and forced himself to focus on the situation at hand. Sheldon wasn’t like him at all. Never would be as cruel as him and even if Sheldon decided to replace Jose for Ryan in the bedroom; Jose knew that he was invaluable to Sheldon outside of the bedroom. His position was secure. There was no proof otherwise.   
  
He was still lost in his bleak thoughts and staring out the window when Sheldon slid behind him and wrapped his arms around his thin frame. It gave him a slight start and he stiffened in his Alpha’s arms before he registered the familiar warmth around him. Sheldon nuzzled him and nipped at his neck affectionately and that went quite far in making his entire being relax. He let out a small noise of pleasure and let Sheldon take most of his weight. This was one of his favourite times with Sheldon, if he was honest with himself.   
  
No matter how horribly pressed for time they may possibly be, Sheldon always made sure to touch him gently, to reassure him without saying the words, that it would be all taken care of. That there was no need to worry and that yes, there was still time for them to be affectionate with each other. Jose treasured that wordless comfort and was always quite willing, no matter how much paper was piled up on his desk, to bask in the warmth of Sheldon’s affections.   
  
“Don’t worry so much. We’ll find him.” Sheldon murmured in his ear before he lightly bit the lobe, making Jose whine in mingled desire and frustration, since they both knew that anything that would usually follow would have to wait for the time being.   
  
Jose pulled away slightly and looked at him full in the face, knowing full well that his lips were dark pink and his pupils were dilated with pent-up sexual frustration.   
  
“And then what?” Jose asked, his voice ragged and breathy as he tried to focus on the next step of the operation rather than the memories of Sheldon fucking him on top of his paper-covered desk.   
  
“Then I’ll fuck you against the wall till you’re raw and begging for more.” Sheldon replied, his calm tone belying the metallic bronze sheen his eyes briefly flashed before turning back to their normal dark brown again. He gave a speechless Jose one last sharp bite before reluctantly pulling away.   
  
“Horcroff, Doan and Stortini are going to help with this one.” Sheldon told him as he tactfully waited for Jose to get himself under control before they headed out.   
  
Jose frowned at the list. “Do you think that it’s going to be enough? Miller’s fairly vicious in animal form, he could be worse when he’s fully feral.”   
  
Sheldon gave him a long measuring look. “Two of us contained him the last time. Yes, I got bitten.” He put in shortly when Jose opened his mouth. “But Stortini and Doan can help out if needed. Three against one should even the odds this time around so that we can hold him safely.”   
  
Jose frowned as he digested the news. It made sense. Sheldon was pretty tough and strong and Jose had been on the receiving end and been a witness to the brute strength that his Alpha could wield. He wasn’t being overconfident when he made the plans. But there was one detail didn’t quite sit with him the longer he mulled over it as they walked out the house.   
  
“So if Doan and Stortini are enough, then why call on Horcroff?” Jose asked as they walked down the front yard and onto the street.   
  
Sheldon didn’t reply right away. He was scenting the air, his eyes going gold as he looked for clues to Ryan’s location or trail. Jose shut up and did the same, moving away from his Alpha and going in the opposite direction. His senses were fairly acute, even more than full-blood loup, which had helped balance out some of the deficits of his own half-blood status.   
  
It didn’t take him long to find Ryan’s scent once he had focused on looking for it. The strange mixture of cedar, maple, musk and pine was too unique for him to not notice it in the cold November air. It also triggered the faint alarms in his subconscious that were as faint and as slippery as dreams were upon waking. They were too familiar, yet too subtle for him to grasp exactly why they kept going off. He didn’t have time to think about them. Not when he got a lead that could end the hunt sooner than hoped and get the situation under control and away from the council’s enforcers.   
  
“You got it too?” Sheldon asked, making Jose open his eyes and nod his head. For some reason, the scent was known to him. It hadn’t been like that for him before when Ryan had been in his presence. He had thought before the reason for that was because Carey had similar traces to his scent. Cedar, musk and pine were Carey’s scents.   
  
“It’s not Carey’s scent.” Jose muttered his eyes going wide as he realized that Carey never had the sweet tang of maple of his skin. Only eastern Canadian born wolves carried that particular trace in their smell. Carey, no matter how much time he spent in the east, would never get that maple tinge on him. That and the musk had thrown him off.   
  
“What? What are you talking about?” Sheldon asked worriedly as he saw Jose’s ashen face and too wide eyes as he put facts together.   
“Ryan’s scent... It’s His. Oh God! It’s His!” Jose exclaimed as he fell to his knees and squeezed his eyes shut. Already, the memories were washing over him. He could hear his mocking laughter and feel his hands on his body, blunt nails digging into flesh, knives leaving thin trails of agony across his skin and the usual feeling of not being able to escape his own skin overwhelmed him so strongly that it was almost as if he was there experiencing everything over again. Jose shook his head and covered his ears with his hands. No. Not again. Not again.   
  
He heard noise around him, but he wouldn’t open his eyes or uncover his ears. He didn’t want to think about it all. They had a job to do. Not now...he couldn’t...not now...   
  
Gentle hands lifted him to his feet, but he could barely stand. He was too lost in the nightmares of his past to even move anywhere. Voices argued around him and those made him cringe and try to make his body smaller than it already was in an effort to not present too large of a target.   
  
He felt warm arms lift him up and he struggled and kicked against them to get loose until the scent of pine and musk engulfed him. He knew that scent. It meant comfort and safety, just like it had all those years ago the first time he had grasped that clean, copper-skinned hand and had been carried out to freedom. He relaxed when he recognized it and let himself be carried away.   
  
He was safe now. He wasn’t going to be hurt again. That scent wasn’t near him now. He wasn’t anywhere near. It would all be okay.   
  
~*~*~*~   
  
It was cold, hiding in the park behind the bushes. His skin was dotted in goose-flesh and he wished he could go into his other skin instead. It was cold and he was still bleeding from what the copper-skin had done to him. He liked it, but the blood that came after reminded him all too much of another person that promised pleasure in impossible jewel-like eyes and had torn him to shreds.   
  
He growled deep in his throat and wrapped his arms even tighter around his bare body. He didn’t like remembering that. He thought he wasn’t going to remember it again. But it came back and the pain that followed it wasn’t pleasant.   
  
It had been betrayal on both sides. He didn’t like being hurt. Didn’t like bleeding.   
  
He thought, after running and being chased and having lights chasing him from park to park until he found a place that had enough cover to hide him, that maybe he should have stayed. It was warm and there was food and he would have mated. He knew that for sure, if he was going to go by the scent of male arousal on his skin and the semen and blood that stained his thighs. Maybe it would have been good after?   
He shook his head. They lied. Both of them lied and he was never going back to either of them. He had to get away, heal and get his own scent on his own territory. When the next time to change came, he wouldn’t come back to this weak form. No one would hurt him in his fur form.   
  
He grinned in remembered satisfaction when he had bitten that copper-skin. It had felt good to have flesh tearing between his teeth and blood filling his mouth. That had been really good. He wished he could do it again. He’d bite him. Oh yes. He’d bite him hard enough to make him lie still, and then he’d mate with him as roughly as he could. Make him writhe in mixed pain and pleasure before he’d bite through his neck and drink all of his blood before leaving the carcass for the other animals.   
  
His smile got wider as he thought about what he’d do after to the jewel-eyed one. He wouldn’t mate with him. No. His body didn’t sing for him like it did for the copper-skin. No. He only wanted to tear him apart into small pieces while watching the jewel-eyes flicker and fade as life left his body.   
  
He had been the first to hurt him. He would get the worst punishment once he found him. Oh yes. He would make sure to get his revenge for all the pain and the erasing of...   
  
His eyebrows knitted together as he tried to recall exactly what had been taken away from him. The pain was all too clear. But what else was gone?   
  
He shifted position to ease the cramping in his legs and the persistent ache in his lower regions that was now coming back in full-force when it had been nothing but a dull and forgettable ache before. He was going to have to move soon or else he would be too stiff to run if those lights were still out there, determined to shine on him and blind him into one of their traps.   
  
He knew that they were after him and they would do their best to bring him back to either the jewel-eyed one, or the copper-skin. He wanted to be free from them and the pain that they brought him whenever they touched him. He wanted to live on his territory and hunt. That was all.   
He shook his head and stopped thinking. He needed to get going. That was the only way that he was going to survive all of this. He lifted his head and scented the air. It was clean. No one else seemed to be about.   
  
He carefully crept out of the bushes he had been hiding behind and took a few cautious steps forward. He looked about and saw that if he crossed the wide open area, he would end up in the woods right away and be in dense cover and hopefully able to get his plan of a territory started. It was quite perfect.   
  
Or it would have been if it hadn’t been for the figure that had appeared from the northern part of the plain. He growled in impatience at the slow moving figure before he crept back into his screen of bushes. He watched and waited, hoping that the person would keep on walking and not notice him there.   
  
His hopes were dashed though, when he saw that the person paused and sniffed the air, just like he had done. That sent warnings echoing and re-echoing through his mind, but he didn’t know why he should react to the person’s actions. He knew that he should stay still and use the bushes as camouflage. That was for certain. So he remained quite still, even when the person started running in his direction.   
He blinked. No. There was no way that the speed was normal. Dimly, he knew that he had been overconfident. The person was like him. Like the jewel-eyed one. Like the copper-skin. And he was coming after him.   
  
He moved, but not fast enough. The other one caught him easily.   
  
He fought back with all that he had, but the other one wouldn’t let him go. His grip was like steel around his wrists and it was easy for him. So easy to get him pinned down against the ground and making him quite angry about how easily people got him helpless.   
  
“Whoah! Just calm down a bit there! I’m not here to hurt you! Honest!” The other one kept exclaiming as he tried to fight his way free, despite having a knee in the small of his back and both his arms pulled back hard enough to hurt. It was when his arms felt like they would be wrenched out of his sockets and his legs uselessly kicked against the dry grass that he finally gave it up.   
  
“You give up now?” the other one asked, making him snarl and give it another try; despite knowing full well the   
  
futility of the gesture. All that got him was a low chuckle from the other one, who let him struggle a bit more until it was understood that there was nothing else going to happen in the meantime.   
  
Once the point had been driven home, the other one shifted above him and moved to pull him up when snarls and shouts broke the sudden quiet of the field.   
  
This made him start his struggling again, but he didn’t even get so far as getting loose when three other wolves were upon them.   
He snarled and bit at any hands within reach, but he didn’t even graze a target; which infuriated him into a near fury.   
  
At least during the frenzy, he had gotten the weight taken off of his back and allowed a chance to escape. Or so he thought, since the chance never materialized due to his being grabbed and pulled to his feet by more hands than before. He threw himself left and right, but he stopped that when he got a familiar scent in his nostrils.   
  
He kept still and waited, just like everyone else in the field was doing. Even the one that had trapped him first was silent and still.   
He came; the copper-skin did, seemingly out of nowhere. One moment he was there, the next he was standing in front of him. His face was emotionless as he looked him over. This scared him on some level and he backed away ever so slightly from him. He would have run if it hadn’t been for those others holding him in place.   
  
The copper-skin moved forward and cupped his face with his large hands. He shivered, but in fear. Was this it? Was he going to die? The fear ebbed slightly when the hands moved down to his shoulders and pressed him down onto the ground. Ah. He remembered this need. The one need that they were supposed to have sated before the betrayal. He recalled it with such desperate clarity that everything else faded, even the presence of the others. There must have been words exchanged, he dimly mused, because it suddenly felt as if the world was only contained of both himself and the copper-skin and no one else.   
  
He didn’t have time to wonder about it; he was too scared to move and too caught up in the anticipation of what would happen next.   
Warm skin was over his own chilled one and there was a wet mouth against his throat, sucking and licking and bringing him to arousal once more.   
  
“It’s going to be different now.” He heard the other one say before he was entered in a smooth motion and filled. He heard himself gasp and cant his hips upward to allow him more access. He wanted the copper-skin to fill him up completely, to soothe the aching emptiness that had been with him ever since he had fled him. He knew now, that this would have been fulfilled earlier if the memories hadn’t overwhelmed him.   
  
He stiffened, but a pair of skilled hands soothed him down enough so that he was receptive enough for the cure that the copper-skin was offering him. He closed his eyes and went with the flow, letting it all wash over him until everything faded into a deep, black pool of nothingness that he gladly sank under.   
  
~*~*~*~   
  
Sheldon scrubbed at his face with cold water and stood to look at himself in the mirror. His eyes were a copper-green and despite him wanting otherwise, they wouldn’t change. It worried him slightly, since they hadn’t stayed that weird half-shading the last time he had bonded. As he stared at his reflection he wondered if it had to do with how much power Ryan had compared to how much Jose had. If that was the case, then he could finally shut up Jose’s not too subtle hints about getting another more powerful mate. Maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad exchange after all.   
  
Despite this hopeful realization, Sheldon wasn’t exactly happy with the outcome of the night. His mate had had a massive anxiety attack and a flashback and would be out for anyone’s guess. His eyes glowed eerily as he thought about that. He wanted so badly to get rid of the cause of all of Jose’s fears and anxieties, but knew full well that if he went that way, war would follow and that would benefit no one in the long run.   
  
He took a couple of deep breaths and tried to look on the bright side. At least they had Ryan in lock-down, the council order for execution stayed and someone to blame.   
  
His mouth twisted at the last thought. It was true that they had who had changed Ryan, but it didn’t go very far in solving the situation. They would be forced to call the Eastern council, maybe even the European Collective and the idea didn’t please him in the least. Too much fucking paperwork and personages to deal with and his mate was nursing his nightmares and unable to handle anything more taxing than making coffee for what looked to be for a long time.   
  
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Why the hell did his life have to be so fucking complicated? Knowing he didn’t have an answer for that, he opened the bathroom door and went to the living room. He didn’t have an answer, but hiding in the bathroom wasn’t going to make anything less complicated. Nor would it solve the problem he now faced.   
  
He nodded to Doan and Horcroff as he entered the room and sat down on the sofa across from where Penner and Stortini held a lanky and somewhat weedy youth that kept blinking startling aquamarine eyes in a face that was a close, but not quite replica of Jose’s tormentor.   
Sheldon sighed and ran his hands through his hair. There was no point in putting it off. Especially not when there was going to be such a massive fall-out to deal with.   
  
“Let’s make this as painless and as quick as possible. Why the fuck did you change Ryan Miller in my territory, Jonathan?”


	5. Why Would You Offer More?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonathan explains, Ryan comes to his senses and Jose's history is alluded to.

  
_“Black black heart why would you offer more  
Why would you make it easier on me to satisfy?”-David Usher   
_  
Jonathan blinked a few times, his mouth opening and closing a few times as he tried to find the words to explain everything to the extremely angry man sitting across from him. Even though he seemed outwardly relaxed, Jonathan could just sense the volatile anger that was simmering just under the surface. He wasn’t going to be easily placated with a few words or sullen silence like his father usually was in this kind of situation. No. This man expected a very long and detailed and complicated explanation of all that had happened and Jonathan wasn’t honestly sure that he even had such an explanation ready.   
  
“I’m waiting.” Sheldon reminded him, those eerie copper-green eyes fixed on him as he waited for Jonathan to compose himself enough to speak.   
  
Jonathan took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair, for once not caring that it was messed up and sticking up in every direction possible. Sheldon had given him the hint that too much time had passed for an answer. He had to start talking about ten minutes ago.   
  
“I...I...I didn’t mean to. I swear. I didn’t even know that...I mean...he was there and I wanted, I don’t even know what I was supposed to have wanted...I just... I just...” Jonathan trailed off as he tried and failed once again to put his recent experiences into words. It was just...too surreal. He had done his best to push it all away, but it came rushing forth in a wave of tangled images and emotions: The sudden horror, the agonizing pain, the mixed up impulses of an animal and a human battling for control in a body that had changed in impossible ways and contortions. Then came the sudden aftermath of finding himself naked and bloody in a dumpster while trying to figure out if it had all been a too vivid dream or an all too fucked up situation. It was all too bizarre and it was all happening to him and he honestly didn’t know what to do. Even though he was twenty and considered himself a man; he knew that at that moment, he was like a bewildered little kid who only wanted his daddy to make everything go back the way that he was used to having it.   
  
Sheldon raised an eyebrow at him and let out an annoyed sigh as he rubbed his eyes tiredly.   
  
“Jonathan, work with me here. You have basically made my mate be an incoherent, babbling wreck due to your scent and appearance. I had to trap and mate with another wolf due to general carelessness as well as to stay an order of execution due to your mistakes. I have been either babysitting an emotionally fragile loup or chasing down a naked and feral one while trying to keep this from the humans. I want-no, need-answers and I need them now. _So quit the bullshit and get on with it!”_ The last was roared so loudly that everyone in the room jumped at the sudden loudness and viciousness of the outburst.   
  
Although it did help him release some of his pen-up frustration, it did nothing but make the on edge Jonathan break down into a sobbing mess. This in turn made Sheldon want to punch holes in the wall, but instead went back to his usual stand-by of counting down backwards from ten until he calmed down enough to continue interrogating the kid once again. Everyone else seemed to find the ceiling or the floor extremely fascinating and Penner actually patted the kid’s back while looking tremendously embarrassed in regards to the entire situation. Sheldon himself, once he was done counting down felt sort of sorry for making the kid freak out. It was just that he was so fucking tired of everything that had just happened and in all honestly simply wanted to crawl into bed beside Jose, hold him and bury his nose into his hair until sleep claimed him. But when had things ever been simple for him?   
  
He made a face at the thought and walked out of the living room and into the kitchen, where he was relieved to see that a full pot of coffee was keeping warm and cups, cream and sugar were out on the counter. He let out a soft sigh of relief. Maybe things wouldn’t be as horrible as he assumed.   
  
“I figured it was going to be a long night.” Doan muttered as he quietly appeared in the doorway. Sheldon exhaled deeply and threw his lieutenant a tired, yet grateful smile.   
  
“Thank you.” Sheldon said before he took his cup and fixed himself a coffee. Once that was done, he waited for Doan to fix himself a cup before they both went back into the living room. To everyone’s mutual relief, Jonathan had somewhat gotten himself under some semblance of control and was now simply sniffling and shaking slightly. It wasn’t ideal, but much better than the earlier waterworks he had dissolved into.   
  
“There’s coffee in the kitchen, if you need it.” Sheldon told the younger loup once he sat down again. Jonathan nodded and was about to get up to do so when Horcoff appeared holding two cups and gave one to Jonathan.   
  
“I don’t know how you take it, but I just put lots of cream and sugar like I do with mine. Hope it’s okay.” He told Jonathan, who only took the cup and nodded his thanks before burying his nose in the cup and taking a long swallow of the creamy sweet liquid.   
  
Once everyone else had gotten their caffeine fix and made sure that a new pot was brewing did they turn to the matter at hand. Jonathan took a few more fortifying sips of the coffee before setting the cup down on the floor between his feet and started to talk.   
  
“I don’t know what the hell is going on, to tell you the truth. I really don’t. One minute I’m having a cigarette and I start feeling sick. Like being too drunk or something, you know?” Sheldon nodded, but didn’t say anything in return. He could see, by the unfocused way that Jonathan was staring at the floor that he was deep inside himself now and that was the only way he could tell the story, by pretending that none of them were there with him and it was just him hearing the words he was saying. He had seen Jose speak the same way about his past and that made him feel even worse for pushing the kid earlier. Something was utterly wrong about the situation and it was starting to look as if Miller wasn’t just the only victim here.   
  
“The next thing I register is that I’m in agony and my body’s cracking and twisting and shifting and it hurts like hell. I just wanted the pain to stop, it hurt so much, and I thought I was going to die. I woke up and I was in a park or some green area or something like that. I honestly don’t know how I managed to get there. Just that I did. And then I saw him and he smelled good. Like food, but I also wanted to...” Jonathan broke off and his cheekbones turned bright red. He pressed the back of his hand against his mouth and let out a shuddering sigh as before he continued.   
  
“I wanted to fuck him and eat him at the same time. I don’t know why those ideas where in my head. I just wanted to do those things and I wanted to do them bad. He was drunk and I thought it was weird that I could smell the alcohol coming out of his pores.   
  
It was so strong that I swear it was like smelling it out of the bottle. He stumbled around a bit and that’s when I took my chance. I didn’t want to do it. Honest. But it was so strong, the need that I couldn’t resist it. I was so close to tearing him apart, I bit him and I tasted his blood and it tasted so good I forgot everything.” He stopped and shuddered at the remembrance. He closed his eyes and Sheldon saw that it wasn’t simply pleasure that was crossing his features. It was a mixture of sorrow and disgust that showed there as well. Either the kid was a good actor, or everything had just been a mixture of bad timing and horrible luck for the both of them.The council was going to so love this. As if.   
  
“What stopped you?” Sheldon asked quietly, not wanting to snap Jonathan out of his monologue too suddenly lest they lose the thread and useful information in the process.   
  
“I knew that it was wrong. I couldn’t do it. The look in his eyes when I pulled away...”Jonathan covered his mouth with his hand for a few moments before he pulled it away and looked straight at Sheldon without flinching. “I realized that I had hurt him badly and that I needed to get him help. Before I even could, I heard someone coming. I just panicked and hid somewhere close by so that I could make sure that he was going to be fine when I saw it was you and you took him away. I couldn’t follow you and my body started to hurt the same way as it had before. I woke up in a dumpster by my hotel room, covered in blood. I snuck in somehow and that was when I started to realize everything.”   
  
Sheldon raised an eyebrow and took a sip of his coffee before he spoke.   
  
“You realized what? That you’re a loup-garou?” he asked dryly. Jonathan nodded eagerly.   
  
“I don’t mean to insult your intelligence...but your father is one. And that’s something that’s usually passed down through the bloodline. If one of your parents is one, chances are you’re going to be one. So why in God’s name would you think otherwise?”   
  
Jonathan scowled at the question. “He told us we weren’t going to turn. He promised it to us. Said me and Freddy weren’t going to ever change. And we never did. Well, _Freddy_ never did. As far as I know at any rate.”   
  
Sheldon looked up and caught Doan’s dumbfounded expression. An expression that was mirrored on all the other pack members’ faces and all he could do was hope that his face wasn’t showing the same shock at such blatant carelessness and stupidity. He knew the older Roy had his faults, but not preparing his children in regards to their nature was just inexcusable. He groaned. Yeah. Unfuckenbelievable.   
  
“It doesn’t work that way! We all turn! Hell, we’re born half-shifted for fuck’s sake! How the hell did he not realize that? He’s your _father_ for fuck’s sake! That’s part of their job! To make sure we don’t go out and blatantly terrorize or turn the human population!” Sheldon roared at Jonathan, who cringed back into the couch and crouched into himself as if he would ward off any blows to come his way.   
  
“I don’t know! He said that it sometimes skips a generation in his family! And my mom’s human! He said we were born human and he promised it would be our kids! _I’m sorry!”_ the last was delivered in a strangled half-shout that made Penner and Stortini look at Jonathan with pity.   
  
Sheldon slumped back onto the couch and finished off his coffee. Yep, it seemed like the Roy household was a hotbed of dysfunction indeed. He also understood why Roy had been so hot for trying to get the regency of LeClaire instead of Carbo. Fucking hell, now everything made sense. And now he was going to have to get all of the councils involved, whether he wanted to or not. Just fucking fantastic.   
  
“Kid, drink your fucking coffee and calm the fuck down. I’m not going to hit you and I never will hit you, so relax. Have you eaten yet?”   
  
Jonathan straightened himself out cautiously before picking up his cup with unsteady hands and swallowed it in one large gulp and shook his head. He was so bewildered at Sheldon’s suddenly calm and non-violent reaction that he was left speechless once again. Usually, if he got shouted at like that his father would have completed the episode with a hard enough blow to leave his eyes watering and his head ringing for a couple of minutes. All that Sheldon had done after was to ask him if he had eaten yet. What the fuck was going on in the West?   
  
“Okay. Well, I’m going to order pizza and make a few phone calls. Is there anyone...”   
  
“Carbonneau. Call him. He told me to find you. But you found me before I could do anything and get back to him, so I guess it’s not important now.” Jonathan rushed in, trying to be helpful and to not make Sheldon shout again. He really didn’t like having people shout and yell at him if he could help it.   
  
Sheldon’s eyebrows rose at the name. “Did he know about what you did?”   
  
Jonathan shook his head. “No. I just told him that I needed to contact the Alpha in this area and he gave me your name. I made it sound as if I was asking for my dad. He doesn’t like me much after that fight...”he trailed off and turned slightly pink in embarrassment. Sheldon didn’t press, since it was all too obvious what Jonathan was referring to and he didn’t want to dredge up the past when they had to deal with the present situation.   
  
“Okay. Well, drink your coffee and stay out of trouble for just thirty minutes. Penner, you stay with Captain Oblivious here. The rest of you: kitchen, now.”   
  
~*~*~*~*   
  
Ryan jerked awake with a start and found himself lying on a pile of straw in what looked like an honest to goodness cage. He squinted and looked around a bit more and found that the cage was in the far corner of what looked like a basement. He could make out snow shovels, sleds and a freezer softly humming away in a far corner. Although it made sense to have the cage just in case someone got too frisky during the full moon, it was still yet another surreal detail in the fucked up tableau his life had become.   
  
“No way.” He whispered and closed his eyes. He opened them again and saw that his surroundings hadn’t changed at all. There was the cage and the straw and he was naked again, to add insult to injury. But at least he was more or less clean and not torn to shreds as he had been before.   
  
“Fuck my life. Really. This is getting ridiculous.” He muttered before he sat up and gasped out at the sharp pain in his ass before deciding that lying down was the best position for him at that moment.   
  
“Yep. Fucking ridiculous.” He repeated and tried to get comfortable on the prickly straw. He had a sneaking suspicion that he was going to be in the cage for awhile.   
  
Or so he assumed. Within minutes of his having that thought, a door to his upper right opened up. A switch was flicked and the entire basement was flooded with harsh yellow light that made Ryan’s eyes water. He covered his eyes until he didn’t feel like knives were being jammed into his brain and found himself staring at Sheldon, who was watching him with a calculating look on his face.   
  
Ryan sat up slowly and resisted the urge to crawl away and into the furthest corner of the cage. He wasn’t sure exactly if it was the way he was being watched with eyes that were an odd mixture of copper and green or the eerie stillness with which Sheldon was standing there that made him acutely aware of how naked and how vulnerable he was at that particular moment. He didn’t like it that was for sure. It made him all too aware of all the debts that he owed Sheldon so far and could never hope to repay and regain his autonomy again.   
  
He also realized as the moment stretched out longer, that despite the discomfort of the situation, he was almost overwhelmed with contentment at having his Alpha near him again. This feeling, along with the easy acknowledgement of Sheldon’s status made him worry.   
  
Was he simply going to be a love-sick puppy, emotionally and quite possibly physically tied to Sheldon for the rest of his life?   
  
“How do you feel?” Sheldon asked him, making Ryan glare balefully at him.   
  
“I’m cold and naked and in a cage after having flashbacks that could have easily come out of _The Blue Planet_ as well as wanting your manly Alpha body pressed against mine while...” Ryan cut himself off and turned away from his Alpha. At that moment, he desperately wanted clothes and a really deep hole somewhere far away to crawl into it. Had he really said that? More importantly, was that really what he wanted from Sheldon?   
  
What the fuck happened to him? Again! There was a long silence after his random outburst that was mercifully broken by Sheldon clearing his throat and the sounds of the cage being unlocked and opened. Ryan turned back to Sheldon and saw his Alpha standing there staring down at him calmly.   
  
“I’m flattered and I promise that there will be an explanation for everything. I’m letting you out now. I know it’s not the most comfortable place on earth, but I didn’t know if you would have had your humanity fully back after the ritual, that’s why I put you here. I didn’t want to take the risk of you attacking Jose. Both of you triggered each other in different ways before the bond was cemented.” He explained as he held out a hand to Ryan, who took it and pulled himself to his feet. After making sure he wasn’t going to fall flat on his face, he stepped out and looked at Sheldon.   
  
“The bond, huh?” He asked and Sheldon nodded. Ryan wanted to ask more, but the mention of Jose had pushed the questions out of his mind. Where was the twitchy goalie? The impression he got was that he was either four steps behind Sheldon, or busy taking care of everyday things for him. In fact, he got the sneaking suspicion that his case was completely out of the ordinary and wouldn’t have happened unless something serious had happened to the painfully edgy Jose.   
  
“Where is Jose, by the way?” Ryan asked curiously. Sheldon’s startling eyes slid sideways at the question and what looked like a small flicker of pain crossed his face. It was there and gone so quickly though that Ryan thought he had at first imagined it, or that maybe it had been a trick of the light.   
  
“Let’s go upstairs and get you cleaned up. It will be easier to get everything sorted out once you and Jose are in the same room.” Sheldon replied, putting his hand on the small of Ryan’s back to guide him along.   
  
Ryan would have pressed the issue, but as soon as Sheldon’s warm hand was on his skin, he forgot everything else except the sensation of having his Alpha touching him. All he cared about was having that touch for as long as possible. Everything else could go straight to hell while his Alpha touched him.   
  
Sheldon couldn’t help but to feel guilty as he saw the vacant, euphoric look on Ryan’s face once he had pressed his hand against his second mate. He normally wouldn’t stoop to such petty manipulations, but there wasn’t any time to waste. He already knew what was going through Ryan’s mind. His seemingly random sexual outburst and his questions about the bond were enough proof of that. He would explain, but he would much rather do it after he saw how Jose and Ryan would get along.   
  
His mouth tightened as he guided Ryan up the stairs and into the bathroom, which was only two doors down from the basement and not in view of the living room or the kitchen. He was sure that Jonathan wouldn’t cope well with Ryan’s casual nudity and the rest of his pack didn’t need the distraction now that they were busy following orders. He had enough on his plate, especially if Ryan’s scent hadn’t changed as quickly as he hoped that it would. He would have to install Ryan with Gilbert until they got the entire mess sorted out.   
  
Yes, it would be another headache to deal with. But if it meant Jose wasn’t being smacked in the face with his past and bad memories, he would gladly deal with it. He knew it wasn’t an ideal situation for Ryan, since he should keep him close at all times for the bond to get as strong as it possibly could and lessen any negative effects that it could have on him. But he would take that risk. Ryan was strong enough to deal with his demons before they destroyed him. Jose simply wasn’t.   
  
Sheldon pushed his thoughts away the moment he got both of them in the bathroom and stripped his clothes quickly before Ryan fully came back to his senses and pushed him into the stall and got the water started. The guilt hit him again. Ryan was a nice guy and really didn’t deserve being treated like a pawn in a chess game he hadn’t even been aware of.   
  
Maybe in a different time and a different place, they could have had a guilt-free fling. There was enough of an attraction on both sides for that to happen. But at this point in time, Ryan was an unknown quantity in his heart. The bond between them could turn out to only be physical and in time, Ryan could go to resent the tie between them. It might make him bitter once he realized that unless a stronger Alpha claimed him, he wouldn’t ever be able to break the ties that held them together. That even if that happened, he would still be tied to someone else. Or if he went to the ends of the earth, his own desires would betray him and he would always come back to Sheldon and submit to him and grow to hate him for pulling those reactions out of him.   
  
But with Jose, it had been proven, over and over again that it wasn’t just their bond that kept them together. He loved Jose. Despite the twitchiness and the nightmares and the cautiousness that had to be employed when he was dealing with the smaller loup. He loved Jose. He had sacrificed quite more than he had been prepared to for him. He hadn’t ever thought that his pity would see him neatly upsetting the power-balance in the East or get him technically driven out of the lands they ruled. But in the end, whenever Jose’s body was relaxed and lax beside his and when he looked in his eyes during love-making and saw nothing but complete trust in their amber depths, he knew it had been completely worth it.   
  
Sheldon kept this in mind as he pulled Ryan under the water and kissed him. This was a planned seduction that would have Ryan more pliable and more open to the idea of Jose being the third part of the equation. It was horribly mercenary of him to do such a thing, but ever since he had become the Alpha, being mercenary was part and parcel of the package.   
  
The eagerness with which Ryan responded though, nearly made his knees go weak. It certainly pushed any other thoughts or intentions that weren’t of Ryan out of his head. He kissed Ryan eagerly, almost violently under the spray of the water. He was dimly aware of Ryan’s arms wrapping themselves around his shoulders as he tasted those delightful lips again and again. It was as if Ryan’s mouth was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted in his life and he couldn’t get enough of him. He made the kiss deeper, pressing Ryan against the shower wall and tangling his hands into his hair as he held him still for more kisses.   
  
Ryan, on his part, reciprocated and opened his mouth wider for Sheldon to explore. He felt as if he had drunk of the headiest wine and had the best buzz ever and it was simply multiplying the longer that Sheldon kissed him. He moaned when Sheldon’s fingers caressed a trail from the crown of his head to his shoulders, around one nipple until they reached the sharp angle of his hip. Slowly, ever so slowly, they moved around his cock. His moans deepened when Sheldon began to stroke the velvety head and length with short, feather-light strokes. The pleasure was so overwhelming that Ryan pulled away from his face away from Sheldon and yipped and dug his nails into Sheldon’s back. He dug deep furrows when Sheldon decided to lengthen the strokes and slow the speed of them. He lost track of how long it took for him to howl and see white and gold supernovas as he came with a series of violent shakes that would have had him collapse if Sheldon hadn’t held him up.   
  
“Wow.” Sheldon grinned at Ryan and kissed his temple before he pulled away. It felt good, getting Ryan that riled up. It had done a number on him too, if the stiff erection was anything to go by. He desperately wanted release from that sinfully gorgeous mouth, but he felt it would be unfair to Ryan. Especially when he was sure to get that from Jose once they would be alone. It was purely a physical need, he told himself as he reached for the soap. Not an emotional completion.   
  
At least that was what he told himself until Ryan slid to his knees. Sheldon looked down at him, scarcely daring to hope it would happen when Ryan grabbed his cock and neatly wrapped his lips around it.   
  
“Uhngghhhnnn...oh God!” Sheldon cried out as Ryan gently licked the underside of it before swirling his tongue around the head a few times before he sucked on it. First, he sucked on it as if he was sucking on a Popsicle, Sheldon’s groans and moans guiding him to either increase or lessen the pressure. While he was doing this, he caressed his balls gently, rolling them in his fingers before he moved over to that soft hidden bit of skin behind them. He ran a nail down it until he was almost at Sheldon’s passage, which made Sheldon give out a strangled shout of pleasure.   
  
He grinned to himself and continued sucking Sheldon, but this time he began to move rhythmically, occasionally humming or running his teeth down the underside of Sheldon’s cock to make him hiss and cry out. He kept this up, speeding up, taking him deeper and further into his mouth until Sheldon’s hands were in his hair, tightening as he lost more and more control the longer that Ryan kept teasing him. When Sheldon started to not be coherent, Ryan knew he was close and went for the gold.   
  
“Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!” Sheldon babbled once Ryan took him in deep. Ryan himself nearly gagged when he felt Sheldon’s cock pulse and hot streams of liquid shoot into his throat.   
  
He did gag then and pulled away from Sheldon and spat the salty, creamy liquid onto the tub. Once he was done that, he looked up and saw his Alpha had slid down the tiled wall and was sitting on the tub floor with a look of absolute bliss on his face.   
  
“Damn. Just Damn.” Was all the said after a few minutes of listening to the shower pouring hot water down them still.   
  
“Just wanted to return the favour.” Ryan murmured as he shyly crept up to Sheldon and sat next to him.   
  
Sheldon nodded and pushed some hair out of Ryan’s face. “Thank you”   
  
Ryan didn’t say anything, since he got the feeling that Sheldon’s thanks went deeper than just appreciation for getting him off.   
  
“Let’s get cleaned up.”   
  
~*~*~*~*   
  
“We’ll talk in the master bedroom. Jose is there and I won’t have to explain things twice.” Sheldon explained as they padded down the hall to the room he had woken up in and got dressed in the casual uniform of long sleeved t-shirts and jeans.   
  
“Why is it so important that we both be present?” Ryan asked him once he had adjusted the borrowed clothes to his liking.   
  
Sheldon ran a hand through his still wet hair and made a face. “The best analogy I can make in regards to the situation is that I’m introducing the second wife to the first wife and seeing whether they can live together or whether I have to keep them apart. I’d rather not have to split my life apart that way again, but I won’t risk any danger to either of you.”   
  
Ryan nodded, despite being slightly annoyed at being referred to as the second wife. It made sense, despite being a bit of a pejorative description of his status. It also showed him how deeply Sheldon cared about the comfort and well-being of Jose and himself, whereas most others wouldn’t have even bothered unless it was too late.   
  
Sheldon cleared his throat before he continued. “I’d also much rather show you certain things than just have Jose or others talk to you. The others have different perceptions of mine and Jose’s history and not that Jose is dishonest, but...” He grimaced. “It’s better if I show you first before I get into the major explanations.”   
  
He turned around and started walking down to the master bedroom. Ryan followed closely and forced himself to not think about anything or wonder about anything. He would get his answers soon enough.   
  
Jose was fast asleep when Ryan and Sheldon entered the master bedroom. Ryan had to admit that there was something endearing and heart-breaking at the sight of him sleeping. He was on his side and the dark blue covers had slid down to about his waist. His arms were pulled up close to his body and despite the deepness of his sleep, his hands were curled up in tight fists, as if even in rest he had to be ready to defend himself. He looked very young and very vulnerable under the heavy covers and it reminded him of how Drew looked like when they were kids. Oddly enough, Jose’s hair was also flopping down in his face the same way that Drew’s used to, stirring up those protective feelings up even more than before.   
  
Sheldon had moved quietly towards the bed and had been careful to sit down and not jostle Jose as he sat down on the edge. He watched him sleep for a bit before he reached over and gently uncurled the fingers until they were lying loose on the bed.   
  
“He does that after he’s had a bad day. Sometimes, he clenches his hands so hard that he gouges his palms. It’s been a long time since he’s done this though.” Sheldon sighed softly as he ran a fingertip gently down Jose’s newly exposed palm before he turned to look at Ryan with those weird coppery-green eyes.   
  
“Why does he have bad days?” Ryan asked as he too, sat down on the bed, leaving Jose between himself and Sheldon.   
  
“Jose’s a fairly weak loup and in the East, anyone weak was fair game. I don’t know what happened when he was young, but it must have been pretty bad. If he had been a little stronger, maybe it wouldn’t have been like it was.”   
  
Ryan frowned as he looked down at Jose. He should have guessed that it had to be something more than just nerves. No one was that high-strung without having seen some kind of personal hell. “Who was it and how long did it last?”   
  
“Roy and as for how long...I don’t know. But it was long enough to cause permanent damage.”


	6. Watch Your Back if Your Heart Is Bleeding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jose's story and ties to the Roy family come out, while Patrick Roy mulls over his son's possible fate.

_“Watch your back_

_If your heart is bleeding” Never-ending White Lights_

Ryan and Sheldon stared at each other over Jose’s sleeping body for what felt like years, but in reality, were only a few minutes.

Ryan didn’t know what to say after Sheldon had dropped that bomb on him, so he simply remained silent as he tried to assimilate the information he had just been given to what he knew of Jose, which in reflection, was almost sweet fuck all.

“I’m letting you know this because this is part of what you’d be dealing with as well. This is as good as it’s going to get for him. He’s never going to be an independent _loup_ and without anyone to vouch for him, he’s anybody’s prey and that’s one thing I’m _never_ going to let happen to him again.”

Sheldon’s eyes glowed bright green when he said the last bit and the effect was so eerie that Ryan was shaken out of himself slightly at the sight.

“And where do I fit into this equation?” he asked once he had gotten a hold of himself.

“You step into my role if I am killed.” Sheldon replied bluntly. Ryan nodded, but he was far from cool about the situation.

“So that’s what I will be for both you? The surety, the alternate? Cause let me tell you, I thought that there was something more, considering how much effort you went through to trap me and seduce me” Ryan commented on bitterly. He felt tears sting his eyes slightly at how stupid he had been. Of course he was the alternate. It wasn’t as if he had been approached. He was an accidental alternate that would be pulled in because it was convenient for all of them in the long run. He could understand that, but it didn’t mean that he had to like it. He just had to accept it.

Sheldon to his credit looked embarrassed. “No. You’re not. And that came out wrong and I’m sorry for sounding like an asshole.”

“Yeah, you did right there. No one likes being told that they’re just...leftover goods or something.” Ryan returned in a deadly quiet voice.

Sheldon sighed and rubbed his eyes as he thought about how to word what he was going to say next in a better way.

“I seduced you and bonded you to me partly to save you from the council and partly because I am attracted to you in many different ways. If I asked you to take care of Jose in case anything happens to me it is because I feel that we can get to that point, were all three of us have that strong of an _equal_ bond to make it so. Also, this is more or less permanent. I wouldn’t ever subject someone to something so permanent if it were going to make the rest of their life a living hell. ”

He looked down at Jose before he continued. “It would be presumptuous of me to assume that you are madly in love with me at this moment. That is why I’m trying my best to be honest with you.”

Ryan looked down at the navy comforter and thought about what Sheldon had told him.

“I don’t want to sound like a girl, but...there is something here between us, right? I’m not lying to myself here to make this situation appear easier for me?”

He was still looking down at the comforter when Sheldon’s hand gently tilted his chin up so that he could meet his eyes.

He was puzzled at first, until Sheldon leaned over and kissed him. It wasn’t a kiss full of desire and need, all clashing tongues and teeth and tasting of hot wetness and naughty promises to follow. No. This one was gentle, exploratory and full of tenderness that tasted like cool sweetness to him and the start of something deeper.

His hand involuntarily went up to Sheldon’s face, his fingers threading themselves into his long hair as the kiss went on. Sheldon’s hand was now cupping his face and he was losing himself in the kiss so much that he was somewhat disoriented when Sheldon pulled away and took a few moments to collect himself again.

“I guess this is when I say welcome to the family?” Jose asked sleepily, making Ryan and Sheldon look at him as he rubbed at his eyes and sat up in the bed.

“I guess so.” Ryan replied cautiously, feeling completely out of his element at the situation and the question.

Jose looked at Sheldon, who seemed turned to stone, only his eyes showing life before he looked at Ryan.

“I was right then. That it would work out in the end. You don’t want to kill me and you don’t smell like him anymore.” The last was said almost in a whisper and it was more to himself than to Ryan or Sheldon. He stared moodily at the covers for a few minutes before he looked up at Ryan a guarded expression on his face.

There was a knock on the door that made Sheldon get up and answer it. Ryan and Jose still stared at each other. Ryan unsure of what Jose would do or say next, since his words were all together too cryptic and made him sort of uncomfortable. He needed to know how Jose felt about him since he was the second half of what was his partnership for the rest of his life.

The tension was sort of broken by Sheldon’s loud exclamation and exit from the room, leaving Jose and Ryan alone and staring at each other.

“This is sort of awkward.” Ryan commented into the room. Jose drew his knees close to his body and wrapped his arms around his legs.

“I know. But we might as well get used to being together. I uh...I hope you don’t think we’re going to be in competition for his affections.” Jose replied softly his voice holding underlying threads of sadness and resignation as he spoke.

Ryan shook his head. “I’m not into that.”

Jose nodded. “Okay...because I do like you. You seem really nice now that you’re back to yourself. Not like Sheldon’s wife. She hates me, that’s why we have this house. I don’t want for him to have to go through all that again, if it’s possible for us to make it work between us.”

Ryan nodded in dawning understanding. So this was what Sheldon was referring to when he commented about his life splitting apart. He supposed it wasn’t easy, having to hide an entirely different life away from the public and from a human partner.  Not to mention having to deal with someone as emotionally bruised as Jose was. Funny how in public, he did that facet of himself very well, by over compensating to the point of arrogance. He must have had years to perfect that, since Ryan himself certainly had been fooled.

“So how do you suppose we start?” Ryan asked, not sure as to how to even begin working towards building a relationship of sorts with this somewhat closed off and brittle man.

In response, Jose got closer to him and timidly placed his hand over Ryan’s.

“Oh.”

~*~*~*~*~

Guy Carbonneau was getting ready to leave the council office when the LeClaire kid caught up with him and handed him a folder.

“I just got it done. Everyone’s accounted for.” LeClaire explained, giving him a nervous grin before running off the same way he had come. Carbonneau opened his mouth to tell him to come back, but thought better of it. All he had to do was fax the list and get Theodore some kind of lead over the Miller situation. He didn’t need the kid to be there while he did something so routine, such as keep tabs on how the Western Pack was policing their members.

 He shook his head and walked back to the copy room. If he could get this done, he wouldn’t have to deal with council business for awhile yet. The next time he absolutely had to make an appearance was on the winter solstice, which would be in a few weeks’ time.

He opened the folder and took out the neatly paper-clipped bundle of sheets. The kid had done a good job in categorizing all of their pack members, where they had been during the full moon and contact numbers for witnesses. Thank God there was a brain in the kid’s head. That should save him for awhile yet.

He had just skimmed the list and was about to start faxing the pages off when his phone went off. Frowning, he pulled it out of his pocket and answered the call.

“Allo?”

“Carbonneau. “

“Souray? What’s wrong?” Carbonneau asked the sheets in his hands forgotten. Souray _never_ called him directly. Not that they had bad blood between them or anything like that. But both had gotten used to Theo being the intermediary that when it wasn’t the case it was a cause for alarm.

“Jonathan Roy is in my territory, Carbonneau.” Sheldon’s comment made him blink, since he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to react to this comment.

“That’s not our concern. He’s not council business.” Carbonneau informed him as he looked down at the papers in his hands.

“He’s the one that turned Miller, Guy. So I think that it makes it our concern.” Sheldon informed him flatly.

“That’s not possible. He’s not registered as a _loup_. None of Roy’s children are _loups._ ” Carbonneau insisted, despite the cold feeling at the pit of his stomach telling him that Sheldon wouldn’t call him if he was mistaken about such an important and specific fact.

“Well, Jonathan is the only one then. Kid ran berserk because he didn’t know what to expect and Miller was unlucky enough to get in his way.” Sheldon explained to Carbonneau.

“What is the Western council going to do about this?” he asked flatly.

Sheldon sighed loudly enough for Carbonneau to hear. “Miller’s been neutralized and despite going feral and running around for a bit, he’s essentially proven harmless. Also being my mate won’t hurt matters in the council either.”

Carbonneau’s eyebrows shot up at the news. “You actually took him in?”

Sheldon growled. “It’s not the same situation as before.”

Carbonneau snorted. “So this time it was accidental?”

“It was partly accidental, and partly political. I had to take on another _loup_ either way, since Theo’s powers are so weak. This will at least balance us out somewhat.” Sheldon concluded crisply.

“I don’t envy you your position, Souray. Not at all.” Carbonneau replied after spending a few moments silently mulling over the possible repercussions of Sheldon’s actions.

“I totally understand what you mean. But I haven’t a choice now. It’s done and so far, it seems to be working. The problem we have now is Jonathan. His trial’s coming up soon.”

“The Western Council wants to try him?” Carbonneau’s stomach clenched at the news.

“He didn’t take any safety precautions; he changed a human and left human without checking if he would change or not. Three counts of criminal negligence are being laid against him. And I can tell you right now that even with one charge he’s looking at a serious sentence.”

Carbonneau swallowed hard. “He’s just a kid. Isn’t there some kind of clause you could push through or something?”

Souray was silent for so long that Carbonneau was about to give the call up for lost when he finally got a reply.

“I’ll see. But it’s not looking good for him. He needs hard proof to get him off the hook and even then, it’s dicey.”

Carbonneau exhaled. “His father isn’t going to like it.”

Sheldon snorted. “I don’t give a fuck about what Roy likes or dislikes. Not to mention the fact that the man’s an idiot, not bothering to prep his children.”

“As much as I hate speaking up in defence of the man, he really _did_ believe that they weren’t _loup._ If he had any inkling, he would have put the boys forth when the succession was being fought over. Why else do you think he was angling for the Regency like he was?”

“I’ll take your word for it. But you’d better get some proof of that and keep him on a leash. If we receive any hostile movements from your people, we will go to war.”

Carbonneau’s mouth thinned at the words, but he wasn’t angry. The man was a leader first, a friend second. They all had to make that distinction whether they liked it or not.

“Message received loud and clear. I’ll do damage control on my end.”

“Good luck on that. We’ll keep you posted.”

~*~*~*~

Patrick Roy kept staring at his mobile as if he could make his oldest son call him by sheer-will alone. It was true that he and his oldest had friction, but Jonathan always made sure to call him at least once a week. Two weeks had gone by without a call and when _he_ had called, he was directed straight to voice mail.

He would swear after that happened for the third time and vowed that when he got his hands on Jonathan, he would give him what for. Yes, he knew that the boy was more or less a man, but part of him still wanted to have tabs on everyone that he considered _his._

He scowled when the memory of amber eyes and thin limbs flashed in his mind. That had been one loss he had never reconciled himself with. Even though he was weak, Theodore served his purposes. And it rankled that he had to stand down to Souray. Worse, it had proven how weak his power-base was in the council and even now, he wasn’t sure what smarted more-losing his toy, or being barred from grabbing the throne once and for all.

He didn’t have a power-base strong enough when he could have done it without much raising suspicion and by the time his children were born it was too late. Especially when all three of them turned out to be fully human. That had been a bitter day for him. And one of his greatest humiliations.

He had been convinced that his ex-wife had been screwing around until the boys adult features had emerged. They were his sons. No one could deny it. Least of all himself.

His last attempt had come to nothing when Carbonneau had been named regent for LeClaire. Maybe if it had been another wolf it wouldn’t have rankled as much. But Carbonneau had long been working behind the scenes against him and even though he didn’t have the proof, he was positive that the old bastard had a hand in Souray grabbing Theodore from him.

The buzzing of his phone yanked him from his fruitless musings and he answered it calmly, despite feeling far from it.

“Roy here.”

“It’s Carbonneau.”

Roy scowled. What the hell did he, of all people, want with him?

“I know I’m the last person you want to hear from at this time. But I have news about Jonathan.”

Patrick’s hand tightened around his mobile as both anger and worry rushed over him.

“Where is he?”

Carbonneau cleared his throat before replying. “The Western Council has him. He’s been charged under our law for three counts of negligence.”

Patrick’s temper rose at the news. “Are they serious? He’s not even a _loup_! None of my children are! There must be some kind of mistake! Aren’t you going to do something about it?! You are the regent after all!!” Patrick all but roared into his mobile.

“There is no mistake but yours for not preparing him! He changed at the last cycle and turned Miller in the Western Territory. Our hands, for the moment are tied until the trial is set.”

Patrick breathed in through his nose to steady his roiling emotions. “Then why are you calling me if you can’t save my son?”

“To give you orders that under _any_ circumstance, you are to get involved in the situation. I am the Regent and your leader.”

Patrick laughed hollowly at this. “ _He is my son._  My son, Carbonneau. No one touches my and mine. They will kill him. You know that. And you expect me to stand by and let it all happen!?”

“Yes. That is exactly what I expect for you to do. Because if you do otherwise, it is treason, as you well know.”

Patrick fell silent at the not-so subtle threat. It went against all of his instincts to stay still and wait for the negotiations to occur and not be a part of them. He knew that Carbonneau was right in all counts.

Yet he couldn’t leave his son’s fate up in the air.

“Roy? Are you listening to me?” Carbonneau barked out, jarring him from his reverie.

“I wish I didn’t have to. But yes. I get your point. I have to sit and wait until you bring my son’s head to me in a box. Got it. Good night, Carbonneau.”

“ _Caliss, Roy!_ Don’t do anything until I give you the word!”

“I heard you the first time, Carbonneau. I don’t want to hear from you until you have my son.”

Patrick ended the call and stood there, staring at his phone in disbelief before he hurled it against the wall, smashing it into a million pieces. It felt good, but it did nothing to change the fact that his son was going to be dead and there was nothing he could do about it.

Patrick wandered towards the large bay window of his office and looked outside. The sky was just starting to change to the darkness of night, reminding him that It was going to be an impossibly long night as he wondered what would be the fate of his son.


	7. Sound of Drums

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> War is declared, the battle's come down.

_ “I hear the sound of drums and they are deafening.” Kula Shaker _

Doan and Sheldon looked at each other across the kitchen table, cups of coffee in front of them as they debated over what to do with Jonathan. Their “prisoner” was currently in the living room playingAssassin’s Creed 2 with Horcoff and Penner and completely without a clue as to what the rest of the council had planned for him.

“Are you going to move him to headquarters?” Doan asked as he watched Sheldon scribble something on a yellow legal pad. He was actually kind of glad that Sheldon kept his eyes down, because ever since he had taken Miller as his mate, they had been an eerie shade of green that didn’t look as it was going to fade anytime soon. Shane then found himself wondering exactly how much power Miller had, and by extension, how much the younger Roy had in reserve. 

Sheldon cleared his throat and answered him, pushing all thoughts of power out of his mind. “I should, but what would be the point?”

Doan shrugged. “It would certainly put the fear of God into him and make him understand the seriousness of what he did.”

Sheldon nodded before he looked up at Doan. “I understand that. But with him, I don’t think it would do anything more than scare the piss out of him. It’s not his fault that it happened. If we’re to go by what he told us...this wasn’t supposed to happen at all. He’s staying here, but I have posted extra soldiers around the perimeter in case he gets the urge to take off and run home to daddy.”

Shane shook his head and picked up his cup. “I don’t buy it. I know l _oup_ genetics are dicey at the best of times, but to believe that they would entirely skip a generation...it doesn’t make sense.” 

He took a drink of his coffee and shrugged as he considered Sheldon’s move to add extra soldiers around the house. “At least there are extra soldiers. Roy’s a mean bastard and I wouldn’t put it past him to try and get him out if he thought he could get away with it.”

Sheldon rubbed his jaw and shrugged. “I don’t know. It could be possible...the Western Packs and the Eastern packs do differ in quite a bit of things...this could be one of them. I know Roy is an arrogant asshat, but he’s a father first. No good father would ever knowingly leave their children in danger. And that includes taking us on, which let’s face it, would be the last thing that he would ever do in this lifetime.”

Shane took a sip of coffee and digested that comment. It was true that personality wise, Roy left a lot to be desired. But, being a father himself, he knew that Roy wouldn’t ever do anything to his children that would lead them into harm. Sheldon was right in that aspect. Both of the Roy men had to be telling the truth in this situation.

“Either way...if there’s no proof, the kid gets it. What he did was careless and dangerous and could have exposed us all.” Shane commented after mulling the situation over. He then looked at Sheldon, who had gone back to making more notes on his notepad.

“I know. I was lucky that the park Miller decided to have his escapade in is mostly deserted at this time of year. It could have been brutal if anyone called the cops on him. Shane, I understand. I’m not pleased by any of this anymore than you are, but I’m also not about to condemn a kid due to some unforeseeable circumstance that no one could have guessed would happen, never mind prevented.”

Shane clenched his jaw at Sheldon’s logic. He knew that it made sense to look at all the angles, but the safety of the pack for him was the most important thing in the equation. Anything or anyone that jeopardized that was automatically an enemy to him. That was the reason why he tried to reason with Sheldon one last time.

“He committed a crime. He needs to pay. Those are the rules. If we didn’t have them, we’d be in cages, or being dissected. We can’t risk the danger and we can’t risk being lenient or else everyone will be making stupid decisions and moving us one step closer to being discovered.” Shane pointed out urgently.

Sheldon dropped his pen and looked up at Shane. “Don’t you think I haven’t thought of that already? But I have to be fair, Shane. I can’t simply make a decision based on fear and then find myself unable to backtrack when it turns out I’ve made the wrong choice. What if they’re right? If that happens and I have executed Jonathan, We’re automatically at war with the East and _that_ will completely draw any attention that we sought to avoid.”

Shane grimaced and raised his hands in defeat. Personally, he wouldn’t mind going to war with the Eastern Packs if it meant he got a couple of good shots at Roy and a few others in the process.But he also knew that Sheldon’s word ultimately was law. He would listen to the council and would be present for the trial, but in the end, his word was law.

“I don’t like it. I think we should just go for it and deal with what happens later. But I’m your lieutenant and I will abide by your word.” Shane finally conceded as he downed the rest of his coffee and got up to wash out the cup. Sheldon watched him and let out a long sigh.

“Thanks. That’s appreciated. I didn’t pick you as a lieutenant so you could be a yes man or a mindless hammer.” Sheldon replied as he finally took a sip of his lukewarm coffee. He made a face, but he still kept on drinking it. The rest of the pot was still nice and hot, so he could always get another cup later, he reasoned before he finished that cup and went to pour himself another one.

Shane moved aside to let his Alpha get to the coffee. “Thanks, I guess.”

Sheldon grinned as he filled his cup and went towards the fridge to get the cream out.

“So now that’s decided when are we having the trial?” Shane asked Sheldon, who sighed and looked at the calendar on the wall behind his head.

“I’ve given the regent some time to find anything that backs up Roy’s claims. Once a decent amount of time has passed, we will call the trial, whether they have the proof or not.”

Shane nodded and leaned back against the counter. “Do you think they will have it?”

Sheldon closed his eyes briefly before he spoke.

“It all depends on how badly they want to burn Roy whether they will get anything ready. That isn’t up to me.”

~*~*~*~*

Sheldon waited until the three younger _loups_ in the living room had played enough before he went into talk to Jonathan. Although he looked to be more relaxed than he had been earlier, Sheldon could feel the fear and tension thrumming through him. It wasn’t so evident to look at him, but Sheldon was sure that being Roy’s son had taught him a lot about hiding in plain sight. He had the same trick of showing what others wanted to see as Jose had long ago, but there were tell-tale signs: the thinning of his lips, a tightening around the eyes and the staring off into distance when he thought that no one was paying attention to him.

Sheldon observed him and wondered if that was just what came with the territory if one lived with such an exacting and cruel task-master as Roy. Jose had lost those traits, but it hadn’t been done alone, or without much help and patience. Sheldon was sure that if he hadn’t finally broken down and admitted that he needed Theo as much as Theo needed him, he would still be like that. This in turn made him wonder if and when Jonathan got out of his father’s shadow and thumb if he’d reach some level of normalcy that somehow still eluded Theo even after all this time.

He was able to have this quiet time to observe until Penner and Horcoff sensed him standing at the doorway and tactfully made their exit to the kitchen to get some more pizza. Jonathan only shrugged at their departure and turned the gaming console off and started flicking through the channels, stopping only when Sheldon came into the living room and sat on the couch next to him.

“What do you want to talk to me about?” he asked Sheldon before he turned off the television and faced him. Sheldon laughed softly at that.

“Were they too transparent?” Jonathan shrugged again and slumped further into the couch.

“Nah. We all could feel you at the doorway, so I figured you wanted to talk to me, since the other two hadn’t gotten in any kind of trouble that I knew of.”

Sheldon laughed softly. “I didn’t think that I was that obvious.”

Jonathan looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “Are you kidding? You have this weirdly strong aura about you. Even stronger than my dad’s and Carbonneau’s, that’s for sure.It’s almost like static electricity crawling all over my skin. You’d have to be dead to not feel it.”

Sheldon kept his face impassive, but made sure to file this information for later review. He knew he was powerful, but not to that extent. He would have to ask Theo about that, since he had been his close companion for the longest amount of time. Out of anyone, he would be the one to give him a definite answer.

“So how much trouble am I in?” Jonathan asked quietly.

Sheldon would have liked to sugar-coat it, but he knew that he wouldn’t be doing Jonathan any favours. Besides, the kid had the balls to outright ask and that took some kind of courage in itself.

“Basically, you’re in deep shit. You turned someone without explicit permission from either the human or the council and left them where any human could have found them and maybe even gotten themselves killed. Those are serious charges against you.” Sheldon explained in as neutral a tone as he could manage.

Jonathan blinked and paled at the words, but he kept his composure.

“Am I going on trial then?” he asked, his voice wavering only slightly as he spoke.

Sheldon nodded. Jonathan swallowed hard and turned even paler than he had before. He then turned to look at Sheldon.

“How fucked am I?”

Sheldon didn’t hesitate. “Pretty fucked. Even if you didn’t know you could be a _loup_ , those charges mean death.”

Jonathan nodded, but his face was unable to hide his fear and horror. 

“I’m sorry. I’ve called Carbonneau already. Maybe there will be something he can do.” Sheldon said quietly, knowing that this was small comfort to a kid facing death for something he never could have imagined happening to him in a million years.

~*~*~*~*

“They’re keeping him here. Fleury said that Souray’s bitch is there also, so we would be killing two birds with one stone.” The first _loup_ muttered to his partner as they scouted the area.He ran a hand through expertly styled, dirty blond hair.

“How did you manage to get that much out of him? He was pretty tight-lipped with me.” The second _loup_ asked as he ran his hand over his freshly shaved skull.

“He was at first. But after his fingers and hands were broken he started to change his mind.” He smiled, showing large and dangerous looking teeth and the first _loup_ suppressed a shudder. “After all, it’s hard to do anything without using your hands.”

The shaven-headed _loup_ looked away from his partner and tried to hide his discomfort from him. He didn’t really like working with him, but if they were going to make the plan succeed he really didn’t have much of a choice in the matter. Sure, it wasn’t going to change anything, but at least he would be able to strike back at fate for taking his normalcy away from him and the others.

“So when are we going to do this?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“Five minutes. They’ve just started to come.” The blonde haired one replied as he tilted his head to the right. He listened in silence for a few moments before a wide smile crept over his face.

“Here they come.”

They came in twos and threes, each group scattered within a five kilometre radius around the unassuming house the Western Council had designated as their leader’s headquarters within the sleepy neighbourhood of Queen Mary Park. They were quiet as they stood there, sniffing the air and shuffling impatiently as they waited for the signal. They could sense some of the Western soldiers milling about outside, seemingly unaware of the threat that had swept into their midst as they made their rounds.

There was a small moment of stillness within the ranks as the wind shifted in the cold winter night.A howl, long and mournful, broke through the silence and stillness. The groups rushed in like well trained cavalry and descended like a wave of menace upon the Western Headquarters. 

“Kill anyone that gets in the way!” the blonde haired man roared over the sounds of fighting that broke out on the front lawn as the attackers tried to get through the guards posted outside.

“That’ll be the day, Avery!” Tootoo roared over the din, the words distorted since he was half-shifted and already covered in blood so early in the fray.

Avery only laughed and turned to face him as Tootoo ran towards him with superhuman speed, his fangs bared and claws out in preparation for a fight to the death.

“Bring it.”

Tootoo slammed into him and both of them rolled onto the ground, quickly blurring into a mess of claws and limbs. Both rapidly disappeared into the mass of bodies and limbs that was now spilling into the street.

Avery fought back with all his might, parrying and biting whenever possible. But he quickly found himself sadly outmatched by the sheer savagery and fury that Tootoo brought to the fight. Tootoo was a vicious animal, fighting with an unmatchable rage and fury and unconcern for his own well-being. Even though he had gotten a few good hits into the smaller _loup,_ it didn’t slow him down in the least. In fact, he was sure that he had broken a few of Tootoo’s ribs the last time he had made contact, but it didn’t slow him down in the least. This was apparent when Tootoo retaliated with a double claw swipe at his face, blinding him with his own blood.

For him, it was over and done once he felt the pain sunk in, but he wouldn’t let the plan fold that quickly. They had gone too far for it to fall apart when they were so close.

“Get inside Iggy! Get inside!” Avery managed to howl out the minute he had managed to get some distance from Tootoo by shoving blindly at the other _loup,_ who grabbed him. But it was too late. 

“On it!” he heard Iggy call out, making him smile before he felt a sharp slice of pain across his throat and warm wetness soak the front of his shirt. 

“Sharp! Warn Souray!” Tootoo yelled out, turning away from Avery and turning to help Setoguchi, who was fighting against Kaleta and getting nowhere in his efforts.

“I’m on it!” Sharp called out as he sprinted towards the door, which was now open and had Penner, Stortini and Horcoff jumping out into the fight.

Sharp managed to get inside, but loud roars coming from the back told him he was too late. Souray, Doan, Roy’s kid and the mates already were too aware of an intruder. He didn’t stop though and ran to the source of the commotion. He stopped at the doorway and his stomach fell when he saw the blood on the door-frame and on the threshold.

“Oh fuck!”

~*~*~*~*

Roy sat across from Carbonneau in the dimly-lit and almost deserted cafe, cups of steaming hot coffee in front of them as they eyed each other warily. Although they had a long shared history, not too much of it was pleasant and that had created enough animosity between the two l _oups._ The meeting was going as well as was to be expected and even though Roy would have much rather found himself somewhere else, he loved his son and would do anything for him. That was the only reason he was sitting across from Carbonneau. 

“Have you spoken to my son yet?” Roy asked once the waitress had put the coffee, sugar and cream on the table and departed.

Carbonneau reached for the cream and poured a small amount into his cup before he answered.

“He’s fine. Souray has him under guard for the time being. He understands the seriousness of the charges and the situation and he’s handling it as well as can be expected.” 

Roy gave a sharp nod in acknowledgement before he too poured cream into his coffee and added a spoonful of sugar also.

“How long until the trial?” he asked, putting the spoon he had used to stir his coffee down on the saucer. He folded his hands in front of him and rested his chin upon them and trained his gaze on Carbonneau, who was taking a sip of own coffee.

“The Western Council has contacted me. They can give us a week’s grace, since the case is so unusual. But the trial will be called no matter what.” He replied once he had swallowed his coffee. He put the cup down and looked at Roy, who was still staring at him with no expression on his face.

There was a slight pause in the conversation as both men drank their coffee. Roy was digesting the news he had been given and Carbonneau gave him all the time that he needed for that. He knew that no matter how strong the man was, he still needed some time to face the possibility of losing his son permanently. So he waited.

“What do you need to save him then?” Roy asked him once they had both drunk as much coffee as they could in one sitting.

“Family histories from both sides of the family would be the best thing at the moment. We need to give solid proof that this was an unprecedented event. I’m not saying that it will be enough, but it should give us some kind of advantage in proving that Jonathan went to the West with the explicit intention of breaking their laws.”

Roy nodded and pulled out a brown envelope from the briefcase that sat by his left elbow and pushed it towards Carbonneau.

“It’s got both of mine and my wife’s family histories as well as copies of Jonathan’s birth certificate, his medical records and baby pictures. I would think that it would be proof enough of my son’s innocence in this matter.”He stated calmly without much inflection in his voice whatsoever.

Carbonneau opened the envelope, pulled out the sheaf of carefully indexed papers and flipped through them before he looked up at Roy again.

“I would hope so, but I am not making any promises when it comes to what the verdict will be when the Council gets their proof.” 

Roy’s eyes blazed dangerously at Carbonneau’s guarded words.

“I have given you what you need to get him free, Carbonneau. You’d better do all you can to get him back here in one piece, or I can promise you there will be hell to pay.”

Carbonneau put the paperwork back into the envelope before he fixed a steely glare on Roy.

“Let’s get this one thing clear, Roy. I am fixing your messes at this point in time; therefore you aren’t in any position to either make requests or to threaten me. Keep that in mind before you say anything else I can guarantee you will regret.” Carbonneau spoke quietly, but the steel underneath the words was all too clear, making Roy flush and clench his hands under the table. 

It took him several minutes to compose himself, but he finally managed a tight little nod in Carbonneau’s direction.Carbonneau returned it before he picked up his coffee and drank the rest of it down. He had just put the cup down when he heard a mobile ringing. He knew it wasn’t his when Roy pulled his out and answered it in English. 

Carbonneau started to gather up his things, figuring that the meeting was more or less done when a furious exclamation brought his attention sharply back to Roy, who was rubbing his forehead and was flushed an even darker red with a fury that he was struggling to contain. Carbonneau glanced down at the hand still on the table and breathed a small sigh of relief when he saw it was still human-looking.Although he didn’t want to stay any longer than he had to in Roy’s company, the fact that the other man looked like he was too close to losing control of himself convinced him to remain and hopefully be able to do quick damage control than to let it linger and be a bigger headache in the long run.

“I will kill you. Slowly and painfully if you do anything to him. I swear that you will regret ever fucking with me and mine.”Roy hissed out the warning before he ended the call and dropped the phone from his hand, which was shaking in either anger or fear, Carbonneau couldn’t quite tell. He sat back down and waited for Roy to control himself. Whatever it was that he had just been told had really shaken him and Carbonneau knew that it was probably going to add yet another snarl in his life.

They sat for so long that the waitress came back and Carbonneau ordered another two cups of coffee for them both.She took away the empty cups and returned with two fresh cups of Guatemalan brew. Carbonneau took his cup and was about to add sugar to it when his own phone rang.

“Carbonneau.”

There was silence for a few moments before he heard a deep sigh. “Guy...You and Roy need to get here as fast as you can.”

Guy frowned. “Souray? Why? What happened?”

Souray heaved another deep sigh that ended in a half-choked sob before he spoke.

“We just got attacked a couple of hours ago. Miller’s hurt. They took Jonathan and Theodore and they tortured Fleury. They’re going to start on Crosby soon.”

Carbonneau inhaled sharply and cast a look at Roy, who was completely lost in his thoughts and wasn’t even registering the coffee cup in front of him.

“Why do you want us to come to Edmonton?” he asked quietly.

“They will kill them if you don’t.”


	8. Didn't See It Coming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New players and old demons come out to join the game now that the stakes are getting higher.

_“Left Hook, I didn’t see it coming_

_Left hook, you got good aim”-Tegan and Sarah_

Henrik was out cold after a rough game when his cell phone started ringing. He muttered something in his sleep and shifted a bit, but didn’t answer it. In fact, he was out of it until he was rudely woken up by a stream of ice-water poured on his head.

“What the fuck!?” Henrik roared as he leaped out of his bed and swept his soaked hair out of his face to see who had been insane enough to disturb his much needed rest. His fury was compounded by a hundred when he saw Alex holding a water pitcher and his cell phone in the other.

“You answer your phone next time, when I call.” Alex replied as he put the pitcher and cell down on the side table. Henrik growled at him as he walked to his bathroom. He emerged a couple of minutes later, dried, awake, put together and pretty pissed off.

“I was _sleeping_ , Ovechkin. Of course I did not pick up!” Henrik exclaimed as he walked to his dresser drawer and took out a clean long-sleeved shirt. “And I have voicemail. You could have left a message instead of pouring water over my head!”

Henrik ranted a bit longer, trailing off in a burst of angry Swedish as he pulled on the shirt and hunted up a pair of trousers and socks.

Alex’s eyes narrowed at Henrik, but he didn’t say anything until he was done both dressing and ranting. It was better if Henrik got it out of his system before he started to explain the reasons behind his actions. Besides, he was enjoying the view of well-built Swede and that was always a good thing.

“It is too important for leaving a message. I get call from Zetterberg. We need to get to the Western Territory.” Alex told Henrik once he had fallen quiet.

“Why do we need to go to the Western Territory?  Did the Eastern Packs attack them? Shouldn’t we stay neutral and out of their affairs?” Henrik asked as he sat down at the foot of his bed. Alex let out a deep sigh as he took sat down on the bed.

“Normally, I’d agree. But this is different. It’s not the packs fighting each other out there. Rogues have declared war on both of the packs out there.” Alex told him. Henrik hissed at the news.

“It’s too bad, but what concern is it of ours?” he asked Alex again.

“They have Nicky, Toby, Sid and Huet as well as the Western Alpha’s mate and Roy’s son. And they will torture them. Zetterberg say that Fleury is hurt very bad.” Alex paused and stared at Henrik, who seemed as if he was turned to ice. Toby and Nicky were basically children and his responsibility despite Alex showing a serious interest in Nicky and taking steps to make a formal declaration to the Swedish branch of the Collective. Their parents had entrusted their care to him and he had failed them. And Sid...he shut that train of thought off before he pursued it to places he wasn’t sure he was ready to go just yet.

“Why? What do they want?” Henrik whispered once the news had sunk in.

“That is what we have to find out.  Rask and Zetterberg are going to the West. Carbonneau and Roy are there with the Alpha. He has suggested an alliance if we choose to take it.” Alex turned to look at him once he was done, his eyes a pure clear silver as he did so.

“I have to let you know that I am going no matter what you say. They have my Nicky. I will destroy them if they hurt him. I do not care if you kick me out of the Collective. I cannot let them hurt my Nicky. ”

“Then why are you here rather than on your way?” Henrik asked quietly. Alex’s eyes flashed red for a slight moment before they returned to the bright silver.

“To give you a chance to make it right before it is too late.” Alex replied, his calm voice belying the anger leaking through his eyes.

Henrik was quiet for a few minutes as he contemplated Alex’s logic before he nodded. “Let us go then.”

~*~*~*~*

“Look at me.” Sheldon ordered the trembling Marc-Andre Fleury as one of the pack doctors looked at his mangled hands. Fleury nodded, but his eyes jerked down and he let out a pained whimper when the doctor gently pulled his right index finger straight in preparation to set it.

“It’s going to hurt more, so keep looking at me. Trust me on this. Keep looking at me.” Sheldon ordered the pup sternly. Fleury may have been an Alpha, but Sheldon had years and power on him and the advantage of being stronger and healthy. Fleury bit his lip and nodded, but he still winced and let out a strangled shriek when his finger was straightened out and set.

His eyes were wide and silver as he swiftly looked up at Sheldon, who was watching him with a solidly neutral look on his face as Fleury was getting his hands fixed up. The expression wavered when Fleury’s whimpers were louder than the sounds of bone being either aligned or re-broken in his hands and tears started slipping down his cheeks. When the tears came, Sheldon put a reassuring hand on Fleury’s shoulder and squeezed gently. It didn’t make the pain go away, but it made him have something else to focus on until the doctor finished splinting and wrapping up his hands.

“You did really well, Fleury.” Sheldon told him, making him nod briefly as the doctor then gave him a few instructions regarding his hands before he nodded to the both of them and went to the living room. There were more wounded _loups_ waiting to be treated by any of the doctors that had been pulled off their human-world posts. Once the doctor was gone, Sheldon took his hand off Fleury’s shoulder and was about to move away when the younger Alpha reached out in a feeble gesture that stopped him.

Sheldon looked at him and saw the same look of desperation and need on his face that Jose occasionally got whenever he needed more comfort than just words. He complied and gently gathered the gangly pup into his arms, feeling all sorts of awkward at how similar this situation was to the first time he had ever really held his Theo.  The memories were enough to make tears prickle his eyelids, but when Fleury started to brokenly sob into his shoulder, it was all he could do to not break down himself. Theo’s abduction and Ryan’s being injured were too sore points that he didn’t dare poke at too hard, but the similarities between Fleury’s state and the fact that they were in Theo’s office were close to pushing him to the edge.

The office was the only place that wasn’t crammed with troops or the badly injured and Sheldon was now glad that he had chosen to barricade the pup there to give him some time to collect himself. He didn’t think that Fleury was well enough to face others and if the breakdown was anything to go by, he needed somewhere to heal his psychological wounds with someone he could find some kind of trust.   Then, Fleury could hopefully give him something that he, the Eastern and the European Collective could use to fight the rogues in their midst. Sheldon really hoped that would be the case; but from the stammered almost non-replies he had been getting from Fleury after they had found him on a routine after-confrontation sweep of their area made him think it was quite unlikely. Shane had suggested the possibility of him being bait or a trap since it seemed too convenient for Fleury to have been dumped or left behind like he had been. But now, holding the trembling, crying pup, Sheldon knew for sure it wasn’t the case. The kid was too transparent to be a double-agent and Sheldon could feel the grief and pain pouring out of the pup were all too real.

The younger _loup_ was badly traumatized and needed delicate handling if he was going to be a hundred percent again. If only Jose or Ryan were around, they could... He firmly pushed those thoughts out of his head. He was going to have to do the best that he possibly could on such a short notice and hope that he was making the right call at such a turbulent time.

“Better?” Sheldon asked after several minutes of sitting in silence. The storm had passed, but the pup had clung onto him for a bit longer to put get his emotions under some kind of control.  Fleury sniffed while he nodded against Sheldon’s shoulder. He pulled away and awkwardly swiped at his face with his bandaged hands.

“Could I have some juice?” he asked, his voice low and tinted with that Quebecois cadence that Sheldon hadn’t ever gotten used to, despite all his years in Quebec.

Sheldon nodded and stood up to fetch it, making Fleury give out a low, involuntary whimper at the idea of being left alone.

“I won’t be long. I promise. No one will hurt you here. You’re safe, ok?” Sheldon made the last bit a soft-spoken question, but Fleury was still jittery and still shaky. He couldn’t blame him since he was more or less defenceless. Although they could heal their injuries faster than humans, broken bones did take at least a couple of weeks depending on the seriousness of the fractures. And Fleury’s injuries were pretty serious, which would leave him more or less dependent for the few projected weeks it would take for him to mend. For better or for worse, he needed a minder until his mental and emotional injuries had scabbed over somewhat.

He held up his hand and moved slowly towards the door, making sure that he had eye contact with Fleury the whole time. Once he was there, he opened the door a slight crack and took a quick look as to who would be milling in the hallway and see if he could grab them to fetch the juice for him. To his relief and slight irritation, Ryan was the one in the hallway.

 He wanted to bawl him out, but the sight of him actually moving on his own was enough to make him feel less like their battle was all but lost. It was true that Ryan was limping and using the wall to walk, but he was up and about despite getting a good sized chunk taken out of his right leg along with a bad enough concussion that had him seeing double for at least four hours after. If he had been human, there would have been brain-damage for sure. So Sheldon remained quiet and watched as Ryan made his painstaking way towards him, his eyes the same muddy hazel mixture as his own.

“You should be lying down, you know.” Sheldon whispered as he reached out and cupped his second mate’s jaw and ran his thumb along the slightly swollen lower lip. Ryan growled low in his throat and nuzzled into Sheldon’s palm, planting a light kiss as the base of his thumb before he spoke.

“Someone else needed the bed.” Ryan replied softly. “Besides, you were calling me and Marc-Andre needs someone to be with him. You can’t be a leader if you’re worrying about him.”

Sheldon’s eyes widened at Ryan’s words. “I called you?”

Ryan nodded. “It was a low-buzzing in my head. The better I got, the clearer your distress was.”

Sheldon nodded and stepped away from the door, letting Ryan in without another word. This wasn’t something that he had expected to show up when he mated with Ryan. Yes, Sheldon had had the connection with Jose, but it was low-grade. Jose could only feel the lowest signals from him, whereas Sheldon could pick up a broad spectrum from him. This was yet another thing he was going to have to research whenever he got the chance, since he hadn’t expected for Ryan to have been so strong when Jose, as a half-blood, wouldn’t ever reach those power levels.

“Hey. It’s Ryan. Ryan Miller.” Sheldon’s thoughts were forcefully brought back to the situation at hand when he saw Fleury’s eyes widen as Ryan took the chair that Sheldon himself had so recently occupied. Sheldon was curious to note though, that Fleury didn’t move, but only stared at Ryan with passive expectation. He wasn’t scared, but he was wary, since he picked up on the fact that Ryan himself wasn’t entirely healthy just yet and didn’t promise to be a physical threat.

Although he didn’t like pushing Ryan into duty, he was thankful for shedding another obligation that he couldn’t fulfill to the best of his abilities. Sheldon also had to admit that it was a relief to not be worrying about him to the same level as he did whenever Jose was around. Ryan was strong and could take care of his own needs and the needs of others and not be drained. Despite it being a trick of fate, he was happy that his second mate was proving to be an amazing asset in ways that he hadn’t even imagined.

“Fleury, do you mind if Ryan stays with you while I go get the juice?” Sheldon asked the other _loup_ quietly. Fleury shook his head and Sheldon was glad to see that his eyes were returning to their usual soft brown and had only a trace of silver left. He gave Ryan a brief look, which was answered by an equally brief nod before Sheldon turned his attention back to Fleury.

“I’ll be right back then. I promise that no one’s going to disturb you here. You are safe now, ok?” Sheldon asked Fleury, who hesitated slightly before he nodded.

Sheldon smiled before he exited the room and closed the door behind him. Fleury would be in good hands. Now he needed to get the damned juice and figure out what the hell they were going to do to neutralize the threat the rogues brought with them and do it fast.  If the civil war broke out of the _loup_ boundaries, their entire society would be hunted down, ghettoized and possibly even exterminated. The worst fears of all the Elders and the old families would come to pass and that _could not_ be allowed to pass.

Sheldon felt the fear come back to the forefront to join the low hum of defiant despair from Jose he wasn’t completely able to block out, but he pushed it back as hard as he could. He wouldn’t do anyone any favours if he decided to panic at such a crucial juncture. No. Later, when everything and everyone was okay, only then would he allow himself the luxury to break down. Right now, he needed to keep it together for everyone.

And get that damned juice before he forgot. Smiling humourlessly to himself, he made his way to the kitchen almost unnoticed and pulled the fridge open. To his relief, there were two fresh cartons sitting right there. That would be good enough to tide Ryan and Fleury over until the vital business was taken care of. Nodding to himself, he took them out, closed the fridge and rummaged around the drawers for straws. There were no clean glasses left and it wasn’t as if Fleury could hold anything anyway. Once he had located a pair of them he went to the office again. He knocked on the door and waited until Ryan opened it.

“Here. This should be good enough to tide you guys over.” Sheldon explained, pushing the cartons and straws in Ryan’s direction.

“Let me know what you decide later, ok?” Ryan asked as he received the cartons and straws then leaned over to plant a kiss on Sheldon’s cheek before he went back inside and softly closed the door behind him.

Sheldon blinked in surprise at the gesture, but didn’t have any more time to ponder its meaning when he got a tap on the shoulder. It was Toews, bruised and slightly cleaned up and looking much too old for his years.

“Roy and Carbonneau are here for the Eastern Council. Rask and Zetterberg have just come in to represent the European Collective until Ovechkin and Lundqvist arrive. They’re waiting for you in the living room. Doan, Sharp, Penner and Tootoo are filling them in.”

Sheldon took a deep breath and exhaled it before nodding. “Let’s go then.”

~*~*~*~

Sheldon was surprised to see the living room was close to looking like it usually did. That was a completely good sign, since it meant his fighting force wasn’t in as bad a shape as he had previously thought.  And if need be, he could rally his troops and put them out on the field and rely on them to put up a fight to the death if needed.

“The bulk of the injured are in the other two rooms and the rogues have been put in the cage.” Toews muttered as they moved further in. Sheldon gave him an imperceptible nod before he sat down on his favourite sofa across from the heads of the other councils. He nodded to each of them and settled in, giving them all time to formulate their thoughts before they got down to business. Plus, it gave him time to study them and judge his approach.

Carbonneau’s eyes were solid ice and darted all over, taking in every detail of the room. Roy looked like he was making a superhuman effort to mentally be there, but distraction would occasionally creep over his face. No doubt he was thinking about his son and whether he was okay in the hands of his abductors.

In contrast, Rask and Zetterberg looked mostly poised and collected as if they were simply making a social call. The only hint that something was not quite right was how Rask’s eyes would roam around the room like clockwork as if he was expecting to be attacked at any minute. Sheldon figured the fidgeting must have had something to do with the fact that Tootoo and Stortini were walking around half-naked and sort of bloody and didn’t even seem to register that other _loups_ from outside the pack were sitting in their living room. He made a mental note to talk to them about it later and pulled his attention back to the _loups._

“Thank you for coming on such a short notice, but we need to get this problem solved before it spreads to the unmanageable. I normally would have taken care of it with my council, but what I thought at first was a small problem has grown into a problem that is affecting all of us.” Sheldon told them all, his voice steady and calm as he made his opening remarks. The others inclined their heads in both acknowledgement and respect of the situation and his words.

“What information do you have so far?” Rask queried harshly. Sheldon had to admit that it was a surprise to see Rask as an enforcer, due to his volcanic temper and youth. But that question made him reconsider his impressions of the kid. It was always a relief to not have to do the formal dancing about the subject when time was of the essence.

“A group of bitten _loups_ have formed a rogue faction. No actual reason given as to why they felt they had to attack us and kidnap a recently turned _loup_ and two marked mates. So far, we only got one call telling us that unless all of the councils are together to meet them, they will start torturing their hostages. The more stubborn we prove to be, the higher the probability of all three of the hostages ending up dead.”

Roy’s jaw clenched at that and Carbonneau nodded, as if it was something he had known to expect. Zetterberg and Rask exchanged glances at the information.

“How sure are you that they’re not bluffing?” Zetterberg asked quietly.

Sheldon gave him a mirthless smile before he replied.

“Marc-Andre Fleury was literary dumped on our doorstep after the skirmish was over and done with his hands smashed to a pulp, his body covered in bruises and barely able to string a sentence together. He managed to let me know he was a hostage, but apart from that, I haven’t been able to get anything else. My second mate is with him and maybe that will do the trick.”

“Did you take any prisoners?” Roy asked hoarsely. Sheldon nodded.

“Tootoo killed Avery outright. Iginla got away. We have Kaleta, Emory and Carcillo downstairs. I wanted to wait until all of the councils arrived before we started asking them questions.”

Task gave a teeth-baring grin and cracked his knuckles while Carbonneau looked even grimmer at the news. Sheldon raised an eyebrow at Zetterberg, who shrugged, utterly unfazed at Rask’s behaviour. 

“When do we start?” Rask asked, his eyes going gold at the possibility of violence.

Sheldon was about to speak, but was interrupted by Doan coming in and handing him his cell. He made an apologetic gesture to his guests and received the call, thanking Doan who nodded and took a seat next to him, sitting stiffly due to the long, nasty gash down his back that was butterfly taped shut.

“Hello? Souray speaking.”

He heard soft laughter before the speaker finally replied.

“Licking your wounds after our little surprise?” Iginla asked, making Sheldon’s temper ratchet up to dangerous levels.

“I could ask the same question. After all, when it was said and done, we still kept our ground and you had to retreat with fewer soldiers than you started out with.” Sheldon parried smoothly, despite the anger ready to boil over at the attack on his people, Ryan and subsequent kidnapping of his Theo.

Iginla snarled at that. “True, but I have your precious whore, Roy’s useless son and most of the European mates to do whatever I want with if you don’t listen and give us our demands.”

Sheldon’s eyes widened at that. “What the fuck have you done?”

“Glad to see I have your attention now. Call it taking insurance, but we have Huet, Enstrom and Backstrom with us now. We figured if we sweetened the pot, you pure-blood bastards would be more willing to listen and negotiate.” Iginla answered, his voice laced with so much frustration and bitterness that it was all Sheldon could do not to taste it.

“You are fucking idiot. You do realize that all you have done is pushed us on the brink of a civil war that the humans _won’t_ ignore. When it explodes onto their backyards and it _will,_ we are all dead. Did you think about that before you grabbed mates belonging to the ruling body of the European council? You must be blind and deaf if you haven’t noticed how volatile they are if they suspect anyone is even t _hinking_ of approaching their mates. They won’t take this lying down and there will be war and I can promise you that if we go down, you’re coming with us! Christ!” Sheldon exclaimed in utter disbelief at either the foolish bravery or sheer stupidity that prompted Iginla and his rogues’ actions.

Carbonneau and Roy shifted and started muttering under their breaths and Zetterberg and Rask shifted uneasily in their seats. Rask had been about to jump out of his seat, but had been restrained by Zetterberg, who shook his head and made the younger wolf stay put.

“Better to be dead than to be second-class citizens for something that we didn’t even _choose_ to be a part of. Besides, it can only go to war if _you_ make that decision. If you choose to not meet our terms, then that scenario will come to pass. But it doesn’t have to be that way.” Iginla shot back.

Sheldon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose when he heard that. There was something to be said for over-confidence sometimes.

“What are the demands of your faction then?” Sheldon asked, working extremely hard to keep his disgust and sarcasm out of his voice.

“What we want is simple: A vote at the council table, our own territory and our own ruling body recognized by all the factions. We don’t get a choice to be brought into this and you don’t give us rights when we do get pulled in. We’re sick of it, so maybe now you’ll think twice about fucking with us in the future.” Iginla replied so crisply that Sheldon had to wonder if he had memorized it specifically for this occasion.

“When is our deadline?” Sheldon asked, despite dearly wanting to laugh and end the call.

“Twelve hours from now, we will meet at Spruce Grove Park with your precious mates and Roy’s son...who will die if his father isn’t there. Yes. I nearly forgot.” Iginla interrupted himself and in that pause, Sheldon swore that he heard a muffled shriek in the background, fuelling the anger that he had thought dormant. Who was the poor bastard that was getting laid into at that moment?

“We want Roy. That is non-negotiable. He is the one that started this nightmare and he has to pay. Don’t try anything before that time, Souray. Or we will kill them all and start our own Armageddon. That I can guarantee will happen without a doubt.”

Sheldon’s mouth tightened and he seriously wished he could have given Iginla a harder punch when he had had the chance. He then promised himself that when war did occur, he was going to happily break his neck as soon as he got the first opportunity.

“I understand and I’ll explain it to the rest of the packs. But I want to know that my mate is well. That all of them are well before this conversation is over.” Sheldon returned as calmly as he was able.

Iginla laughed at that request. Sheldon thought that he had been hung up on, because there was a long silence that followed the request that was broken by a softly spoken greeting.

“Theo?” Sheldon whispered, his hand involuntarily tightening around his mobile when he heard Jose’s voice.

“Yes.” Theo replied, his voice faint but steady and still strong.

“How are you?” Sheldon asked his voice low in an effort to keep all of his emotions checked in.

“Okay.” Was his Theo’s answer, making Sheldon’s heart clench painfully in his chest. Fucking bastards had already started on them. Theo only got monosyllabic when he was reliving his past nightmares and he was guessing that Iginla and his cronies were doing just that to him.

“And the others?” he asked, hoping that he could get more than a one word answer from Theo and delude himself into thinking that things weren’t as dire as he was suspecting them to be.

“Same.” Sheldon squeezed his eyes shut and covered his mouth with his hand for a moment to stop the sobs that were threatening to escape him.

“We’ll come for all of you. I swear it. Just...just hang on. We’ll be there. Tell them. Okay baby? Tell them.” Sheldon pleaded with Theo, not caring or not noticing the wolves and _loups_ that were in the room with him. He only cared that Theo was still there, still keeping the faith and not retreating into himself in order to survive a seemingly hopeless situation.

There was a long moment of silence before he heard a faintly whispered: “I know you will, love.” Right before the line went dead.

Sheldon took a couple of deep breaths before he flipped his mobile shut and faced his allies.

Zetterberg was the first to break the silence.

“They’ve started torturing them haven’t they?” he asked flatly. Sheldon nodded.

“What are their demands?” Carbonneau questioned him, not willing to dwell on what was clearly and unpleasant and irreparable situation for the time being.

“First of all, it’s all the bitten from both the Eastern and the Western packs. They want sovereignty, plain and simple.” Sheldon paused and looked at Roy, who was now sunk deeply in thought as the conversations went on about him. But when Sheldon stopped speaking, he raised his head and looked straight at him with those uncannily bright eyes that were all too similar to Jonathan’s own at this point in time: lost, broken up and scared.

“They also want Roy to be there. They promise safe passage for Jonathan if Roy is present.”

Roy straightened up at that. “Did they guarantee it?”

Carbonneau started at that question. Not that he didn’t expect for Patrick to do everything in his power to save his son, but the sheer selflessness that the other _loup_ was enough to throw him off guard. Patrick knew he was probably going to his own death, but if he was feeling any qualms about the situation, he was very careful to not show it.

Sheldon nodded. “We are to meet them in Spruce Grove Park in about twelve hours for the exchange and whether all of the packs and councils have agreed to their terms. If we have, and only then, will they return all of the mates and your son.”

“Which of the mates do they have apart from yours?” Rask wondered the curiosity all too apparent in his face as he spoke.

“My Nicklas, for one.” Ovechkin replied as he, Lundqvist, Vanek, Malkin and Kovalchuk entered the room followed by Cheechoo and Latendresse, who had been patrolling the perimeter at Carbonneau’s insistence.

Sheldon and the others stood up when the European Collective appeared.

“I take it you aren’t here to discuss their demands.”

Ovechkin and Lundqvist shook their heads.

“They took our mates. They took our pups. Time for talk is over. We are at war.”

The other leaders didn’t even hesitate to nod their agreement.

“And I think the best place to start this war is with the ones downstairs.” Rask growled, having almost fully transformed himself and explaining the riddle of his position to the Northern packs once and for all. Shane didn’t even bat an eyelash at the transformation as he simply walked over to the basement door and opened it.

“Have at it. Just make sure you get as much as you can out of them.”

~*~*~*~

Iginla turned to look at Jose, who simply stared back. Jose’s face was swollen and bruised, his left eye and lower lip swollen to almost twice their normal sizes. He was shirtless and he was keeping himself still so that his body didn’t make any contact with the high back of the chair he was tied to. They had already whipped him until his entire back was criss-crossed with bleeding and half-scabbed over welts.

Iginla hadn’t been at all pleased with his ending the call so soon and had taken the suggestion of Hartnell to punish him for his audacity in front of the others. Jose only had enough time to relay the message to the others before he had been pulled out. But he hadn’t gone peacefully. He wasn’t going to be anyone’s fucking victim anymore if he could help it. And he was damned if he was going to curl up and die for these fucking wankers. He hadn’t forgotten how they had injured Ryan without any compunction and how they had torn him out of Sheldon’s grasp. Nor had he forgotten the anger and humiliation that followed his capture and the subsequent humiliations that had followed.

He tried to stay relatively calm despite everything that had happened. Jonathan was in shock over the entire situation and he needed someone to stay strong for him, to show him that he could survive it no matter how bad it looked. He had closed off from almost everyone and Jose had tried to keep him grounded before he completely disappeared. Huet was still stoic despite the abuse he had been given and had made it his mission to keep an eye on Jonathan. Enstrom and Backstrom were close to freaking out though. Jose was sure that Backstrom had been raped the last time they had shoved him in the abandoned garage area of the condemned building they were holding all of them in, but he hadn’t been left alone to check and offer the younger wolf some kind of comfort. Luckily Enstrom had stepped in and stuck to him like glue, not offering anyone a chance to repeat the offence.

Enstrom had been close to the same fate, but had escaped due to their captor’s flagging interest and his self-appointed work as Backstrom’s shadow. Somehow, a crying victim tended to dampen the excitement and they kind of assumed that the same thing would happen if they tried it with Enstrom. So they left him alone and waited for an opportunity to present itself.

Crosby himself was keeping it together somewhat, but Jose suspected that if they were kept captive for much longer, the facade would irreparably break. He wasn’t used to that kind of treatment. Apart from Jose and Jonathan, Crosby had been the third favourite target, despite him offering more resistance to their abuse. It gave them a reason to attack him and do worse to him, since they couldn’t resist the opportunity to humiliate and debase him. Crosby did his best to resist all of it, but eventually, it was all going to drive him to a madness that he quite possibly would never recover from. He hadn’t yet learned to bend rather than to offer outright defiance. He would, eventually.

But at least at this moment, he didn’t have to worry about them. He just had to last long enough to put up with their games and hope that Sheldon was on his way, as he had promised. Jose didn’t doubt he would come. It was just a matter of when.

“I didn’t tell you to end the call.” Iginla’s quiet voice, over-laden with an unspoken threat brought him back to the present. Jose looked down at the table that was between him and Iginla.

“I didn’t have anything else to say to my mate.” Jose replied in the same flat voice that he had used when talking to Sheldon. He knew that Sheldon had picked up what was going on from his conversation. He wanted Sheldon to know that he shouldn’t bargain with these fucking cumbuckets, as Brooks liked to say on his off-times. Especially not after what he had seen them do to pups like Backstrom, Crosby and Jonathan. Especially in regards to Jonathan, who was nothing more than a pawn in a sick game which his father was an unaware participant.

As he had anticipated, his head snapped to the left with the blow. Although Iginla didn’t pull back his punches, he had been exposed to abuse by one of the best and even though it hurt, it wasn’t on the same level as Patrick’s punches. Iginla had hit him twice in this session so far and he hadn’t even broken his nose or jaw yet. There had been plenty of blood, yes. But nothing had been broken, so he wasn’t ready to give in just yet. Not when there was still so much at stake.

“Don’t push your luck, you cheap whore. The only reason you’re all still breathing is simple, since we need to lure all of the leaders in. Once that occurs, you won’t outlive your usefulness. Trust me.”

Jose only licked the blood smeared on his upper lip and tried to not show any reaction to Iginla’s words. They didn’t give a fuck about their rights. They just wanted to kill everyone in a ruling position and put themselves in as the new rulers. Or worse, create enough instability so that the human world would discover them and destroy their society once and for all.

He knew he had failed when Iginla smiled at him. A cold and cruelly calculating smile that confirmed everything he had just thought of.

“Now you get it. What will you do? What can you do? They’re going to come for all of you. I would kill you before that, but it wouldn’t be as fun to cut down a wolf that’s lost the will to fight. The thrill simply wouldn’t be there. No. We want to make it worthwhile.”

Jose’s eyes narrowed at Iginla’s bragging. Out of all the _loups_ he had met, he had never imagined Iginla as a discontent nihilist. And now, due to a twenty-three year grudge against an oblivious and (even though he hated to even _think_ about him in those terms) basically innocent Roy, blameless _loups_ and wolves were going to die. If he wasn’t about to face his own mortality, he would have laughed. Then he would have cried at the sheer ludicrousness of it all.

“I would say you’re a sick and deluded fuck, but it would be redundant at this point.” Jose told him, proud that his voice only shook slightly when he said that.

Iginla grinned at him. “What next? You’re going to tell me that I will regret this and to stop now?”

Jose shrugged. “If you know what I’m going to say, then I might as well stay quiet. We both know how it will all end.”

Iginla snickered at Jose. “You have that much faith in your sugar daddy?”

Jose tilted his head and studied him through a narrowed eye. “It’s not so much faith, but knowledge of what you chose to fuck with and I can tell you that you picked the wrong _and_ the losing side.”

Iginla’s reply was a punch that sent him and his chair to the ground. He laid there, the world turned upside down and his ears ringing, expecting another blow when everything exploded into a cacophony of klaxons that were quickly followed by howls of insurmountable rage and bright colours. He thought, but he wasn’t sure, that he had felt the light caress of lips upon his forehead followed by the comfortingly sharp scent of pine needles and musk and then nothing.


	9. On St. Crispin's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Battle is on it's way

_ “Hear Jerusalem bells are ringing _

_ Roman cavalry choirs are singing.” Coldplay _

Iginla didn’t bat an eye despite all hell breaking out and loose in his hideout. The klaxons from the alarms were getting on his nerves, so he walked over to the old alarm system and punched it; shutting the noise off and giving everyone clear relief from the shrill blaring of the alarms. He looked down at Theodore and smirked when he saw that the whore was barely clinging on to his consciousness.

He would have done some irreparable damage if it hadn’t been for Pronger, Cammalleri, Hartnell and a few loups that were civilians and eager to get a piece of the pie that was going to be split up that night showing up, dishevelled and bloody and breathing heavily.

“We’re fucked.” Was all Pronger said as he stood there, making Iginla’s fury grow white-hot at having his plans destroyed.

“You’d better be joking, Pronger.” Iginla snarled back as he turned to look at Jose, who was still lying in an awkward heap by his feet.

Pronger let out a short bark of laughter at that. “They’ve ambushed us and lured about half of our fighting force to Spruce Grove Park. The rest of them are here and Souray and Ovechkin are hell bent on making you pay for taking their mates.”

While this was going on, some of them spread out around the large room, careful to ignore what was going on in front of them. Iginla wasn’t above smacking a few of them around to vent his frustrations and besides, the girly-boys were still there and ripe for the picking. Many of the civilian loups were more concerned with getting a taste of the council whores than what else was going on. The leaders may topple, but getting a good taste of prime girly-boys wasn’t something that was going to drop into their laps again in their lifetimes.

Iginla shook his head and examined Jose. “We lost anyone?”

Pronger shook his head. “They’re fighting to disarm rather than kill. We got a group outside holding them out, but Ovechkin’s pissed and so are Lundqvist and Souray. Malkin alone is a powerhouse. We got some time to get away and re-group, which would be for the best.”

He said the last with a grimace of pain, since defeat was the last thing he wanted to admit to at this point in time. Especially since they all had worked so hard to get even this far.

“No. They’re not aiming to kill yet and we’ve got a chance to get rid of three of the most powerful Alphas in one shot. They won’t have the heart to fight once they see what happened to their precious little bitches.” Iginla replied as he looked down at Theodore, whom he had knocked down when the alarms had blared out their warning.

Pronger smiled briefly at that. “I can live with that. Makes the cleanup easier.”

Iginla nodded and knelt down beside Jose. He forced his claws out until they were at least five inches long and quickly sliced through the ropes that bound Souray’s whore to the chair. He wasn’t ready to give up just yet and if he was going to get any sort of concession or advantage from Souray, he wasn’t going to leave anything up to chance. Besides, he wanted to teach that smug little bastard a lesson that he wasn’t ever going to forget and doing it in front of Souray would just be killing two birds with one stone.

“I’m going to start with this one. I don’t care who does what to the rest of the little bitches.” He stated coolly before focusing on Jose, who was now bleeding from the temple and breathing shallowly, his face drawn tight in pain. Iginla didn’t give a damn about his well-being and pulled at Theodore, who cried out in pain when his right arm was jostled. It looked like it was caught in one of the rope’s loops and bent the wrong way. He did so  _not_  need this.It just seemed like the night all of his plans had to go awry. So he decided to do what he had originally planned to do in the first place.

With an angry snarl, he kicked out at Jose, who was free, but still on the ground. Jose let out a pathetic cry and his eyes dimmed before they fell closed. Iginla was about to kick him again since at that moment, he was checked from behind. The force of the move got him away from Jose and had him slam into the plywood partition that partly hid the cage where the pups were all silently huddled, watching the proceedings from the far corner lest they force his wrath upon them.

He got his bearings back pretty quickly, and got to his feet within a split second to face his attacker. His eyes narrowed when he saw the loup that had checked him.

Another loup, an Eastern one by the too sweet scent of him, gave a startled exclamation and picked up Theodore, disappearing with him to the outside. Iginla, watching his leverage disappear, snarled and went after the Eastern loup. He didn’t get very far due to another wolf standing right in his path, his eyes a bloody silver that intimidated him if he was honest with himself. But at that moment, he was too pissed off to care and determined to salvage what was quickly becoming a losing situation.

“Ovechkin? You’ve got to be kidding me!” he exclaimed when he saw the Russian glaring at him with his claws out and his eyes shimmering with anger.

He was going to turn away from him and find Souray in the hell that had broken out with the Alphas’ arrival, since he knew for a fact that the big asshole wanted to be the one to take him out. Yeah, Ovechkin would be sore over them using his girly-boy as their whore, but he wasn’t the one to end it all. Not unless Souray was dead. And if he knew anything about that fucker, he knew for sure that the bastard would come back from the grave if that was what entailed him for him to be evening the score.

Iginla saw Souray enter the room, but Pronger had already leapt in his path. Pronger didn’t have to fight, but he wanted to. Big Alphas, especially with that much power behind them, were hard to find. To defeat one was almost impossible and that was the one thing that Pronger wanted to do. Not because he wanted to take over the leadership in the Western council, but simply because of the message that it would send out to the city that had humiliated him despite all that he had done for it.

Iginla though, wanted to be the one to end Souray. That fucker had been rubbing him the wrong way for what seemed forever and the sooner he got rid of him, the faster he could send in more of his people to wreak havoc in the other branches of the councils. So he turned away from Ovechkin, dismissing him without a second thought as he prepared to jump in and tear Souray’s throat out when Ovechkin howled some babble of Russian, which Iginla mocked by shouting gibberish back at him, enraging the  _volk_ even further.

That was the only shot he got in. Ovechkin slammed into him full-force, his claws swiping at every area that they could gain any kind of purchase on, his expression completely feral as his face morphed into a wolf snout as his battle rage took over. Iginla snarled back and fought back with slashes and blows that made Ovechkin back away, giving him enough time to crouch down and do a low sweep to try and knock the enraged Russian down. He would have succeeded if it hadn’t been for Ovechkin jumping over his sweep and kicking him in the chest. He had forgotten that the commie bastard was fast when he was pissed off.

Iginla grunted and fell back, only to slide even further than he had expected on some slippery substance. He looked down and for a split second, his stomach clenched when he saw it was blood. He stared at it stupidly until a few drops of blood dripped down onto his jeans, soaking into the indigo dye and turning it black where it was absorbed into the fabric.

Iginla looked up and nearly puked when he saw Souray holding Pronger’s head above him.

“You still want to keep on going?” Souray asked him, his tone implacable as he let the head drop into his lap. Iginla shoved it away and leapt to his feet.

“You think he meant anything to me?” he snarled at Souray before he punched him.

The blow easily missed him by half a foot when Souray leaned to the left.

“I know he didn’t and there’s going to be more ending up dead by the end of the night. You want their blood on your hands?” Souray asked as he sucker punched Iginla, snapping his head back to the right with the force of the blow.

Iginla spit out a bloody tooth and laughed. “You think I give a shit?”He asked as he swiped at Souray, catching him on the shoulder when he turned to avoid the brunt of the blow

Souray’s eyes flashed green, then copper before settling down to a hazel mixture before he round housed Iginla against the wall, making him go through it into the gravel driveway of the unused garage.

“I figured not, but I just had to make sure that I wouldn’t feel guilty when I rip your heart out of your chest.” Souray replied before he leapt out into the driveway, his form now of a dark chestnut wolfthe size of a Shetland pony.

“If you want to do die like a dog, I’m quite fine with it.” Iginla scoffed before forcing his own change. In minutes he had changed into a non-descript brown wolf and had leapt and Souray with a loud howl.

It was on.

~*~*~*~*

Groups of wolves clung to the outside edges of the park. They ranged from gold, dark gold, light brown, russet brown, oak brown, to silver grey and gleaming black. Although they looked like a pack of dogs, milling about and sniffing at the vegetation in the park, they had another purpose for being there. A salt and pepper wolf was running back and forth at the top of the small hill in the park as if he was a lookout. A gold wolf sitting at the foot of the hill watched him intensely while some of the smaller wolves, gangly adolescents, got into small playful skirmishes in an effort to get rid of the nervous energy at the eve of a huge fight.

This went on for awhile; none of the humans passing by even took notice of the large pack gathering. Besides, there weren’t too many humans roaming around that late at night in that park and those that did wander in scattered off quite quickly once they heard the low growls of the pups. Although dogs weren’t too much of a problem in that area, the urban legends of people bringing in half-breed wolves who then formed vicious packs that attacked children still survived in the minds of many.So whenever large packs of dogs were seen in public areas, everyone cleared off as fast as they could.

The moon must have been close to its zenith when the salt and pepper wolf abruptly stopped his pacing and tilted his head towards the west. The gold wolf saw this and turned to the pups and the rest of the pack and barked sharply, once, twice and the wolves paused and stood still. All eyes were on the salt and pepper wolf whose tail twitched as his ear moved this way and that in order to find the source of the sound.

They watched him for several breathless moments, every single one of them on alert and eager to begin the battle that was close enough to taste. Finally, he let out a howl before he ran down the hill and barked at the young ones to get them in a semblance of a battle formation. The gold one stayed ahead, as was agreed. As soon as they saw the other pack approaching, their own wolves snarling and nipping at their heels, the gold one let out a loud howl and charged towards them, the rest of the pack following his lead.

The other pack howled out their reply and they met almost in the middle, clashing against each other like waves in a turbulent ocean. That was also when the fur began to fly, quite literally. The formerly silent park was now filled with the sounds of snarling, howling, barking and growling as each of the groups tried to outdo each other. Death wasn’t on anyone’s mind just yet. Dominance was.

The gold wolf extricated himself from the melee and stood sniffing in the night sky, hoping that he could catch the scent of another wolf. He ran to different places, hoping that he could catch a bit of that elusive scent so that he could fetch him and spirit him to safety.He tried again and again, and it wasn’t until his fourth try, when he faced east that he could detect a very faint trace that didn’t fade away no matter how many times he turned his head or the wind changed.

He turned and ran in the direction, but found his way blocked by a plain dark wolf that snarled at him. He feinted to the left, but the wolf anticipated the move and snapped at him. He snarled back and readied himself. He wasn’t an Alpha for nothing.

He lunged at the same time that the wolf did and clamped his jaws onto the brown wolf’s shoulder. The brown wolf howled in pain and shook himself in an effort to get the gold one off. But the gold one hung on, his teeth hooked into the fur and skin. It wasn’t until he felt his feet leave the ground and air rush past him that he let go, but it was too late. He was slammed into the ground and the breath was knocked out of him. But the taste of blood in his mouth served to soothe the pain in his shoulder and back.

He didn’t hesitate for long and got to his feet right away. The brown wolf was waiting for him, his eyes hooded and his stance more wary as he realized that age hadn’t slowed the gold wolf down.He had to be careful and find a way to slow him down before he got to the lair. The gold wolf started to circle around him, but the gold one wasn’t giving him an opening and he wasn’t in the mood to be patient. So he waited for a shorter time than he was supposed to and struck.

But he struck low, which threw the gold wolf off-balance and got him on two legs, exposing his underside enough to give him time to swipe with his claws. He was rewarded with four scarlet ribbons showing up stark on the champagne fur of the underside. The gold one righted himself and attacked low as well, but he went for the forelegs instead. He clamped down on them, but the brown wolf was faster and pulled his paws out of the vice that was his jaws. But he wasn’t standing on them.

The gold wolf snorted and gave what could have passed as a laugh in a human and bounded away.

Behind them, the fight was still fast and furious and showed no signs of noticing what had passed outside its boundaries.

~*~*~*~

Nicklas lay huddled into Enstrom’s arms, shivering slightly due to the fever he had developed after being held down on a cement floor for what felt like days while other loups did their worst to him. He closed his eyes briefly before deciding that it was actually scarier to not see what was coming for him. Although he was trying to keep it together, it was torture waiting for what was clearly going to be a slow death. But it was hard to keep calm when it honestly looked like hell had literally broken out almost in front of them. The cage area and the front area were divided by a plywood wall partition that was not going to hold up if the noises and the howls were anything to go by. Wolves, men and half-shifted wolves wandered in and out of the only view that hadn’t been blocked by the plywood. Some were lying in pools of blood and other unidentified gore, their throats and bellies torn out. Some had noticed the cage and were now scrabbling at the bars and locks that held the last bit of safety for the pups.Despite the cavalry arriving, it seemed as if they were going to be dragged down in hell no matter what.

“Shhh...It’s alright.” Toby murmured to him, but Nicklas knew it wasn’t. He could tell, by the stiffening of Toby’s body and by the way that Crosby and Jonathan shifted in the cage that it wasn’t as okay as Tobias wanted him to believe. Huet had disappeared and Jose had told them that help was coming right before it all went into their own personal circle of Dante’s inferno.

“We’re fucked.” Sidney whispered, finally lifting his head from his knees, his swollen, bruised eyes showing only the smallest slits of black as he did. He lowered his face onto his knees and wrapped his arms around bloodied and bruised legs. He shifted a bit and Tobias stiffened. Nicklas wondered why until the scent hit them: Sidney was bleeding again. Nicklas shuddered and Tobias tightened his grip around his shoulders. No. He wasn’t going to think about that. Not now. Especially not when new horrors were waiting to take their place.

“No.” Jonathan moaned his eyes wide and silver as hands, paws and appendages in between started poking through the bars. The lock was rattling and groaning in an effort to keep together, but as the squeals kept growing louder, they all could tell it was a futile battle.Even though the wolves had thinned due to the efforts of all of the wolves that had been hell-bent on re-creating Armageddon for them, there were still a few die-hards determined to get in the cage and tear them apart. Seeing them behave like that, snarling and yanking at the cage made something snap in the young  _loup._

Jonathan’s nostrils flared and his eyes went copper for the first time since they had been captured. He looked back at Sidney and made sure to stand in front of him. Tobias noticed this new determination in him and debated whether he too, should make that last stand. But as the door and lock moved in a cacophony of screeches and screams of metal, he knew he couldn’t sit there and wait to die. Once he came to his decision he embraced Nicklas and stood up in front of his friend and waited. The lock gave one last squeak and it was yanked off its hinge. The door to the cage stuck though and the last few determined wolves screamed their anger as they set to battering the last barrier they faced.

“Fuck no. I’m not going down like this. Fuck that.” He stated as he stood there, shoulder to shoulder with Tobias as they made what they knew was going to be their last stand and maybe give the last two of them in the cage a fighting chance once the cavalry finally got there.

It was a small gesture, but it made Nicklas a bit better than Sidney’s mute acceptance of their fate. Sidney had been broken. Jonathan, despite everything had found some small reserve of strength and was fighting back no matter how futile the situation might seem at that point in time. He just hoped that the sacrifice that Toby and Jonathan were making would be worth it in the end.

The door finally gave up its’ fight and was pulled open. Jonathan snarled and Tobias howled. And two golden wolves rushed forward to meet the grey ones that had entered the cage.

It wasn’t much of a fight, by wolf standards; but it was a fight. Jonathan had anger backing him and Tobias had some experience, but both of them had desperation and that was enough to give them a slight edge. Although the golden wolves were mismatched and lacking experience, they still managed to not end up on their backs. They were gouged and bloody after five or so minutes, but they still kept on feinting, biting and dodging. Nicklas watched as they kept the grey ones from even getting near him or Sidney, who had cautiously raised his head and watched the proceedings.

Sidney looked like he was starting to believe that things would be fine until one of the grey ones managed to get his jaws around Jonathan's leg and bit down, snapping the bone in half. Jonathan howled and fell. He was down for the count on his back, his eyes clouding as he tried to move his now useless leg.The grey snorted before he leapt in for the kill.

“Get off!” Sidney shouted as he intercepted the wolf, not quite grabbing him, but ruining his intended target all the same. The wolf landed three feet from his intended target and shook himself as he glared at Sidney, who was shaking with anger as he returned the glare.

“Bring it, bitch.” Sidney whispered, his eyes slowly leaching to a copper-tinged brown as he forced his protesting body into a crouch.

The wolf ran toward Sidney with his head down intending to knock him down and go for a quick kill. Sidney watched and waited, knowing full well what the wolf intended to do. He knew he was fighting insurmountable odds, but he would rather die on his feet fighting than be picked off, no matter how injured he was or whether he was bleeding from re-opened wounds. He just couldn’t lie down and die. It just wasn’t in him to give up so easily.

Behind him, he heard a commotion and the high yelps of a wolf in pain, but he ignored it. He needed all of his concentration to at least put up a fight. Winning may have been out of the question, but he was at least going to get one hit in if he could manage it.

The wolf came and Sidney clumsily dodged him at the last minute, landing in a heap in front of Niklas, who pulled his legs closer to his chest. The wolf snarled and again went in for the kill.

“Enough!” a loud voice roared as the wolf was cut short by a blood-covered Henrik Lundqvist grabbing it by the neck and lifting it up to his eye level. The grey wolf growled and snapped, swinging all four paws in hopes of getting a slice in. Henrik only stared at it for a few moments before he squeezed its’ throat. There was a loud snapping noise and the wolf went still.

He tossed the wolf aside and crouched in front of Sidney, who was still lying in a heap, his eyes wide as he stared at Henrik, who was now pulling off his stained jacket and offering it to Sidney.Behind him, Ovechkin, Zetterberg and Sharp poured in. Hiller stayed back, since he was supporting Huet, who looked a bit worse for the wear, but whose eyes showed that he was keeping it together for the time being, at least.

Huet’s expression crumbled only when he saw Jonathan, who was moaning softly as he clutched at his clearly broken leg. Sharp saw this and made a beeline for the younger wolf while the others scattered to their respective targets.

“Here. It is not much, but it is better than being naked.” Henrik told Sidney as he helped the younger pup sit up and get the garment around his shoulders.

“Thank you.” Sidney replied quietly as he pulled the mid-length jacket closer to his body. Henrik nodded his mouth suddenly dry as he and Sidney looked at each other. Neither of them quite knew what to say to each other, but they were luckily spared the social awkwardness as Alex’s exuberant shouts at finding his Nicky filled the cage.

They both turned and saw Alex embracing Nicky with tears streaming down his face and his English quite forgotten as he let his emotions pour forth in a strong torrent that seemed almost overwhelming to the pup he had chosen as his mate. Nicky was crying too, but his tears were mixed with relieved laughter as he cradled Alex’s face with an almost reverent gentleness that touched all of the spectators.

Henrik looked away, feeling like a voyeur at having witnessed such a private moment between Ovechkin and Nicky. He made a mental note to make sure Ovechkin’s declaration was speeded up when the entire mess was over when he nearly choked at the next sight that met his eyes. Zetterberg and Tobias were locked in a similar embrace that although quieter, still had the same depth of passion as Alex and Nicky’s own.

“Oh. Wow.” Henrik heard his thoughts echoed by Sidney, who was pink and trying to look somewhere else in an effort to give the reunited couples some semblance of privacy.

“Come.” Henrik put his arm around Sidney and led him out of the cage. “You need clothes, they need time and I need to clean up.”

Sidney obeyed without much prompting and if he needed to lean on Henrik as they picked their way out of the battlefield the abandoned gas station had become, Henrik didn’t seem to notice.

Neither of them spoke as they made their way to a van that had been hastily outfitted as an ambulance. Henrik left Sidney for a bit as he did some reconnaissance and discovered a still working hose attached to an ancient looking tap and washed off the blood and other fluids he didn’t care to think about off. Satisfied, he came back and found Sidney with his arms wrapped around himself and looking smaller and younger than he usually did.

The sight of him looking so vulnerable forcefully reminded him of their last meeting and his silent promise to himself that the next time they saw each other; it would have a different outcome. The shrill cries of fights going on in the near vicinity forced him though, to focus on the present situation. Sidney needed medical attention and there was still a pitched battle going on in Spruce Grove park as far as he knew.

“Here. They will take care of you. I have to go back there.” Henrik explained as he helped Sidney inside and mentally prepared himself to go back into the fray again. Although he was determined things would be different, he still was an Alpha and duty came first.

“Ah. I see.” Sidney murmured his eyes downcast and fixed on the carpeting underneath his bare feet. Henrik studied him for a few moments before he hopped inside beside the pup.

“You really are a big... clueless dork... as they say.” Henrik whispered, the left side of his mouth curling up as he looked at Sidney, who had turned a dark blotchy pink at the Alpha’s words.

“So...does that mean you’re going to stay with me then?”

Henrik smiled. Duty could take a backseat for at least ten minutes.

~*~*~*~*

Kris Letang’s heart was beating pretty fast and his face was flushed as he waited for the doctor to finish taking care of Theodore, who was more or less out of it. He had literally run from the battle sites with Jose slung over his shoulder at the Western Alpha’s request to get Jose medical help.He hadn’t had the guts to refuse and had done as requested and he was trying to calm down now that he had fulfilled his duties.

Jose himself was still not quite all there. The blows to the head and the pain of his broken arm were taking up what little reserves of strength he had left. His eyes were half-lidded and if it wasn’t for Kris holding him up, Jose would have for sure slid off the van and onto the ground below. Although he ached to get back into the fray, he didn’t want to leave Jose alone until he could get him to either one of his mates.

“How much longer?” he asked the doctor that was squinting at the sutures he was putting into the shaved patch on the side of Jose’s head. Jose himself blinked and stared off into the distance, glassy eyed and docile with all the pain-killers that the doctor had pumped into him earlier. He only jerked slightly when the plastic thread was pulled through his scalp and knotted. It was then that Kris realized that even when he was getting his arm set, Jose hadn’t given much of a reaction. Those must have been great drugs indeed if they made him pretty much a zombie.

“Not that I’m complaining or anything, but what the hell did you give him?” Kris asked as he doctor finished off the last few sutures and carefully covered the area with a gauze pad and taping it down.

“Thorazine and Morphine. I think I must have overdone with him, though.” The doctor muttered as he double-checked Jose’s splinted arm and his back, both things done without much trouble as Jose was as limp as a dishrag. “Most loup don’t turn into drooling zombies though. Either he’s an Eastern half-blood or a recently turned pup. Either way, he should be out of it in a couple of hours, just keep an eye on him. If the gashes on his back don’t close up by later tonight, bring him to the Royal Alex.”

Kris nodded and tried to suppress his annoyance at having to babysit Jose. He wanted to see some action and find Marc-Andre. That was the main reason he had for showing up as fast as he did. They had snatched Flower and despite hearing that he was okay, he wanted to see it for himself and if he had to sit with Jose, he’d never get the time or the chance to be with Flower.

The doctor opened his mouth to give him more instructions when his attention was distracted by another loup tearing through the crowd towards them. At first, Kris thought it was a rogue determined to take out Jose. He pushed Jose down and positioned himself in front of him, determined to keep the Alpha’s mate safe.

“Is he with you?” Ryan Miller shouted out once he came into view. His eyes were wide and green in a blood-splattered face, making him look completely feral in his desperation.

Kris was so taken aback that he stepped back to reveal Jose sprawled gracelessly over the backseat of the van, his fight with consciousness finally lost.

Ryan let out a small noise as he pushed past Kris to get to Jose, whom he picked up and cradled to his chest. He walked past the stunned doctor and was going past him when he paused and looked at him with those weird green eyes.

“You’re Letang?” He asked him after he was done studying him. Kris nodded, confused as to why Miller would ask his name.

“Flower’s waiting for you. Come on, I can take you to him.”

~*~*~*~*

Patrick Roy ran from van to van in a frantic attempt to find his son. He had done his part in the battle and after three hours, it was apparent that he wasn’t needed any longer. After what seemed ages, the battle had dwindled into individual skirmishes. There was still no word on whether Souray had killed or been killed, so it was safe to assume that show-down was still going on.

This was all out of his mind as he kept looking for Jonathan. His son was the only thing that mattered to him now.Anarchy had been adverted, but his son was still missing.

He had looked into five vans and his emotions were in turmoil as he had seen the other hostages getting medical attention. If they had gotten out, then his son could have as well. Or he could have died in the attempt. He pushed that morbid thought away and tried a sixth van.

It was there that he found his son. Ashen faced, glassy eyed and basically held up by Patrick Sharp, but it was his son. Jonathan was alive.

“Jonny?” he whispered as he rushed forward.

Jonathan looked at him blankly for a few minutes before his face coloured and his face crumpled.

“Dad, I swear, I wasn’t being careless and I...And I tried to fight back, but he broke my leg...I’m so sorry. I’ll...”

“Jonny...it’s okay. It’s okay. It’s okay.” Patrick shushed him as he gathered his son in his arms and let him fall apart. He held his son tightly, rubbing small circles on his back to soothe him. He kept up the mindless activity, until his fingers came across a raised wreath of scar-tissue low on Jonathan’s back.

Pausing, he looked over his son’s back and his mouth tightened when he saw the silvery-circle of scars on his son’s golden skin.

Sharp frowned when he saw the dark look on Roy’s face as he looked at Jonathan’s back. His eyes flicked in the direction of Roy’s eyes then back up to his face.

“What is it?” he asked the senior Roy tersely. He hoped he didn’t have to run interference between the senior and junior Roy.

“That son of a bitch.” Roy swore softly, his arms tightening around his son’s body.

“What? What’s wrong?” Sharp persisted.

“That fucker bit my son. Iginla bit my son and dragged him into all of this.”

Sharp swore softly and tightened his grip on Jonathan’s hand while Roy just held his son, who was still sobbing in shock.

“I’m sorry Jonathan. I’m so sorry”

End.


	10. Trying Hard to Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final battle between the Alphas has begun.

  


_“You’re staring at the sun_

_You’re standing in the sea._

_Your mouth is open wide, you’re trying hard to breathe”-TV on the Radio._

Ryan stared blankly at the wall in front of him, his mind focused on the belief that everything was over now. That the rogues had been or would shortly be dealt with and that the nightmare their scheming had caused was going to end shortly. That Theo would heal in time and that Sheldon...at this he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn’t want to continue that thought.

He wasn’t sure exactly how much time had passed between the beginning of the battle and the denouement of it. He had been fighting with Doan, Rask and Semin in the park for most of the time and had lost track of what was going on until Price had come back and spread the message that it was all over. The rogues in the park conceded defeat the minute that they had heard the news, so all that was left was to pick up the wounded and the minimal amount of dead and clear out before dawn and the humans started to really take notice of what had been going in the park.

They had been caught up in their tasks, or getting medical help that no one really thought about where the two leaders had gone. He hadn’t thought Sheldon the whole night, since the rush of adrenaline and battle fury had all but overtaken him. Besides, he had felt him in his head. He was a low, steady hum that gave him some cold comfort as they had split up to take up their individual tasks.

But now, when he focused on it, he felt as if he was touching cold steel. And that scared him. Especially now that he didn’t have anything to do to keep his mind from dwelling on all the possibilities that could have caused Sheldon’s usual warm presence in his mind go cold and...Forbidding.

He sighed and rubbed at his face, frowning when he saw the flakes of dried blood on his hands. Shit. He had been so busy bringing Theo home and switching Flower minding duties with Letang that he had completely forgotten to clean up. Frowning, he got off the bed, careful to not jostle Theo and went to the bathroom in the corner of the master bedroom he had discovered just before they had been ambushed.

He smiled tersely at the memory and avoided looking at the plywood that had been nailed over the broken window. Although he knew it was relatively safe at the moment, the sight of the damage was enough to make him feel uneasy. He cast a look over his shoulder and his anxiety softened slightly at the sight of Theo, lying there fast asleep with a peaceful expression on his slightly battered face.

He hated to admit it, but he felt like a sap whenever he felt so much tenderness rush out of him whenever he looked at Theo. He didn’t know if it was because he felt over-protective of Theo, or if Sheldon’s own love had bled out on him or if it was simply because he too had started to love him. Whatever the reason, he wasn’t questioning it. He just knew that when Theo had been gone, it was as if a light had gone out within him and within Sheldon also. He supposed that was the reason why they had been able to bleed into each other’s minds so easily at that point. No defences and the need to find a connection to ease the pain of loss before madness set in probably had precipitated what probably would have happened in time between them.

He turned around and went back to study the slight man lying on the bed. The drugs hadn’t yet worn off, but he wasn’t worried, since Theo was sleeping rather than comatose. Ryan could see that by the relaxed way that his chest rose and fell with each deep breath that he took. Although his face was still covered with yellow-green bruises and was slightly swollen, it was much a much better sight than it had been earlier in the evening. According to Letang, Theo barely could see out of his left eye and most of his olive-tinted face had been literally blue and black. The only jarring note in his appearance now was the white gauze taped to the side of his head, which had been messily shaved off to treat the wound. Ryan smiled slightly at that. Theo wasn’t going to like that once he got lucid enough to realize what had happened to his hair.

 Keeping this in mind, Ryan continued his study of Theo to make sure that everything was okay before he went to clean up. Although Theo was still beat up and the sight of the abuse set his teeth on edge, Ryan knew he was on his way to healing and tried to not mind the sight of the stark white bandages hiding the rest of the injuries. It had been a horrible experience all around, but it was thankfully over and things were going to go to back to normal. Or whatever normal was going to be for all three of them at this point.

 Smiling slightly at the oddness of his life, Ryan reached out and cradled Theo’s jaw in the same manner as Sheldon had done to him earlier. He gently brushed his thumb across the plane of Theo’s unblemished cheekbone and was surprised when Theo’s clear brown eyes opened half-way. They were clouded and confused at first, but after a few moments, they became clear and focused.

“Hey.” Theo whispered, his voice sounding scratchy on the word.

“Hey. How do you feel?” Ryan asked as he repeated the movement, making Theo sigh softly.

“Like death warmed over.” He stretched slightly and paled, stopping abruptly in the middle of the movement. “Shit, my arm hurts.”

Ryan chewed on his lip at that admission. “You want me to get you some more painkillers?”

Theo shook his head. “I’m done being zombified.”

Ryan had to turn away to hide his grin at that remark. It had been true then, what Letang had told him as they made their way to headquarters. Theo had been utterly docile to the point of mindlessness once the doctor had injected him with the specialized mixture of sedatives and pain-killers he used to treat the  _loups_. Although it made it easier to deal with him, Ryan could understand why he didn’t want to be in that state for any longer than he had to.

“But if you’re in pain, it’s better if you take something rather than be in discomfort.” Ryan told him as he moved his hand from Theo’s jaw to his temple to stroke his messy hair away from his face.

“I know. I just don’t want to be out of it when Sheldon...that’s if...” Theo turned his face away and wouldn’t meet Ryan’s eyes.

Ryan blanched and his hand stilled in Theo’s hair. He caught himself quickly and resumed the action, smoothing back Theo’s hair again.

“He’s going to come back to us, Theo. Don’t think that he won’t.” Ryan whispered as he leaned forward and kissed Theo’s forehead lightly before moving back again.

“I know. I know. But the fear’s still there, you know?” Theo asked his eyes bright as he spoke.

Ryan swallowed the lump that had unexpectedly risen in his throat. “I know. But Sheldon’s tough. He’ll make it back to us.”

Theo nodded and Ryan somehow felt like such a fake for saying something that he wasn’t sure he even believed himself.

_“Where the in the fuck are you, Shel?”_

_~*~*~*~_

 Carbonneau, the silver wolf stood at the crest of the hill with a small, black wolf that was Rask on his left and dark brown one that was Tootoo, on his right. The two smaller wolves were snarling and positively quivering as they watched the battle taking place in the small valley below. They desperately wanted to join in and tear the attacker to shreds, but they stayed still, watching and waiting for the outcome to be decided.

It would be a grave insult to either Souray or Iginla if anyone else joined their fight. Not only was it unfair, it would bring Sheldon’s own status into question. If they joined, despite their intentions in wanting to help him, it would look like a challenge that no one would be able to back out of without losing face. So they remained on the hill and hoped that the end would come soon and that it would mean a victory for Sheldon. If it didn’t, then they were prepared to destroy Iginla and avenge the memory of the Western Alpha.

Iginla and Souray knew all of this, but no matter how much effort either of them put into the fight, it seemed that neither of them could get an advantage over the other. Despite fury being their fuel, it simply wasn’t enough for either of them to be able to score a killing blow. It looked like they were evenly matched and that the fight would be to the death.

Although it had been a possibility, Souray didn’t want to acknowledge it until now. He hated to admit that he had been holding out a faint hope that he could take out Iginla and go home to his mates again, the rogue uprising crushed and the threat averted. But now, with the time passing and each of them growing more tired and more scored with wounds, it seemed highly likely that both would breathe their last on the grassy valley of Spruce Grove Park.

Iginla growled in frustration as he rushed toward Sheldon again. He knew that it was a poor effort, but he had to give it a try. The fight was dragging on too long and he had to regretfully admit that he had miscalculated how it would go with Souray. Not only did he have the size and weight advantage, he had stamina behind him to boot. He was slowly wearing him down and Iginla knew, from the cold look in those fiery green eyes that once he showed a small sign of weakness, Souray would finish him off.

 _“You may kill me, but I’ll make sure to take you with me.”_  Iginla thought to himself as he feinted to the left and spun around to take a chunk out of Sheldon’s thick hide. He managed to sink his teeth in deeply and jerked his head. Sheldon howled and squirmed, his teeth snapping as he sought to do the same with Iginla before he was ripped up.

He got lucky and bit, but didn’t delay as Iginla had. He bit and pulled, making Iginla let go in startled surprise and retreat. Both of them retreated and slowly circled each other. Blood was dripping from their scored sides, close to their hindquarters. They paused, keeping wary eyes on each other as they examined their perspective wounds.

It was a pyrrhic victory for both of them, since they had slowed each other down, but not managed to score enough of a wound on each other to end the fight. They had just drawn it out even longer and made mutual annihilation a certain possibility. 

Souray made a panting sound that could have passed for laughter or pain and Iginla’s hackles rose with it. The fucker was taunting him! Even covered in open cuts and missing fur, the fucker still had the balls to laugh at him! Iginla snarled and stopped his circling, his eyes fixed on Souray’s own.

Souray watched him, his own movements slowing down as he waited for Iginla to make his move. He too, was tired and the last wound that Iginla had scored on him had done more damage than he cared to think about. It wasn’t bleeding too badly yet, but it had torn the muscle badly enough to make his left leg tremble even when he stood still. That was the reason why he was moving restlessly. If he stopped or slowed down, he was sure that he would collapse and be a ready kill for the bastard.

He waited and watched and when Iginla’s hindquarters quivered with the effort of leaping, he made his move. They clashed in mid-air and with a flurry of paws and teeth, wrestled each other onto the ground.

Carbonneau stiffened and Tootoo let out a series of small yips as he frantically rushed from one end of the hill to the other in clear agitation. This was it. Whoever rose up from this fight would be the clear victor. He yipped again and Rask howled. The other wolves still remaining on the field rushed over to the hill, to act both as witnesses and also to kill Iginla if he hadn’t died by the end of it.

Sheldon and Iginla fought desperately, each taking turns tumbling above and under each other, sharp claws frantically scrabbling to score the soft underbelly of their opponent while they tried to tear out each other’s throat. Iginla scored the first serious blow when his uninjured foreleg found purchase in Sheldon’s belly. Letting out a sharp yip of victory, he raked his claws down Sheldon’s chest.

If it hadn’t been for Sheldon twisting his lower body, he would have been disembowelled and dead in seconds. As it was, blood spurted out in great gouts, matting his fur with dark streaks. Iginla prepared to move in again, but Sheldon struck. With his last bit of strength, Sheldon clung onto Iginla with his forepaws and sank his teeth deep into the thick fur around his throat. He felt Iginla struggling to pull away, but he held on, even though he could feel his jaws creaking with the strain and his teeth loosen with the effort to tear through the flesh.

But he held on and tore through; his head jerking back quickly as he tore out Iginla’s throat, sending out a scarlet arc of blood as he did so. Iginla shifted back, his strength all but gone and his hand went up to his ripped up throat as if he could stanch the spray of blood from the grievous wound. Sheldon too, shifted back and let him go, not wanting to hold onto the rogue as he choked on his own blood. Besides, his own wound was also bleeding freely and it was taking most of his quickly fading strength to stay on his feet.

Iginla’s mouth worked, but no sound came out. He made a few, choked attempts before the light faded from his eyes and he lay still.

Sheldon smiled briefly as his allies took up the victory howl. He had done it. He could go home to his mates now. He felt his vision blur and his body get colder before his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed into blessed blackness.

~*~*~*~

Ryan had just finished rinsing off the last residue of soap and shampoo on his body and was about to turn off the water when a sharp spike of pain stabbed him right between the eyes. He cried out and collapsed in agony, the heels of his hands pressed against his eye sockets to ease the pressure inside his skull. He felt as if his eyeballs were going to explode and he rocked back and forth as the pain gained momentum. He was dimly aware of a series of long, drawn out screams coming from the bedroom and instantly knew it was Jose. He desperately wanted to rush out and comfort Jose, but he couldn’t move, no matter how much he wanted to.

“Argh, fuck! Fuck!” He ground out, the pain reaching unbearable levels. He tried again to get out from under the water and get some medical assistance, but a searing flame of pain burst forth from the back of his skull where the usually comforting, but now recently turned cold presence of Sheldon resided. When that last lance of pain shot through, he heard himself scream in accompaniment with Jose and his vision went a bloody-streaked black.

Then it was all blissfully peaceful.


	11. Anger As Beauty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath and the clean up...and moving forwards to the future

_“Melt your silver down  
Kiss your lover's face  
The sirens start to sound  
And you're caught up in the only place  
Where the honesty of fear  
Makes a battle like a song  
Falling on your ears” Hawksley Workman_

 “What the hell just happened there?” Carbonneau asked to no one in particular as the doctor rushed to frantically stitched Sheldon’s chest closed. They all watched the I.V. lines dripping both blood and painkillers into his veins as they waited for the doctor’s answer.

“He died for four minutes and then came back.” The doctor replied calmly, working quickly, but steadily. He had already stitched up the gash in Sheldon’s leg which had been bleeding freely. If they hadn’t put a tourniquet around it and brought him back in time, he would have bled out and died in the field rather than on the table as he had, since his femoral artery had been torn. That injury was now hidden from view both by the bulky bandages that were wrapped around his left leg and the towel that had been draped over his hips to preserve his modesty.

“But how? He was done! All his strength was gone after the fight and the wounds that he took! No normal _loup_ could have taken that much damage and survived!” Carbonneau spluttered, still not believing the sight of Sheldon still breathing steadily before him on the dining room table.

“He drew on the bonds he’s got with Theodore and Miller, that’s how he did it.” Tootoo growled out as he came into the dining room and looked down at Sheldon.

Carbonneau’s face paled at the news and the Eastern and European wolves from the council, except for the Finns, began to mutter among themselves at this tidbit of news.

“I thought they were just stories.” Lundqvist muttered as he pulled Sid closer to him. Rask looked up at Lundqvist, since he had caught the comment.

“It has not happened where you come from?” Rask asked curiously.

“It’s very rare that it does. I think the last time it happened in my city was sometime during the sixties.” Lundqvist replied. “Is it more common in Suomi?”

Rask nodded as he ran a hand through his curly hair, smoothing it down quickly when he noticed Tootoo was looking for a place to sit.

“I’ve heard of it happening in Suomi. But mostly among the Sami and the mixed blood Sami.” Rask commented as he moved to let Tootoo sit next to him.

“That’s why we’re careful about who we pick as our bonded mate. If they can’t handle it, they could die.” Rask continued as he gave Tootoo a speculative glance that wasn’t _quite_ returned, but not quite ignored either.

The implications sank in and Carbonneau rose from his seat. “Jose.Ryan.”

“A bit bloody, but they will be no worse for the wear after they get some sleep.” Doan replied as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Tootoo and I went to check on them when we heard shouting. We thought some strays had gotten to them again.”

Carbonneau nodded and sat back down again. “Have all of them being taken care of?”

Doan frowned. “We’ve got them in lockdown. Once they heard about Iginla, most decided to play nice after that. We still don’t know why the fuck Iginla bit Roy’s son though. Or why they wanted Roy himself as a hostage. Those that know won’t say anything until Sheldon’s up to hear it.”

Zetterberg snorted. “They want to use it as leverage?”

Doan grimaced. “Most likely that’s their aim. Roy’s screeching bloody murder about the whole situation and I honestly don’t blame him. The kid was just a pawn and he’s going to be paying it for the rest of his life. It’s not really fair.”

“Is the Western Council going to drop the charges against him then?” Carbonneau asked bluntly.

Doan rubbed at his eyes. “Carey and I have talked and have decided that the circumstances warrant it. We have that power if the head of the Council is incapacitated.”

Carbonneau and Lundqvist nodded their agreement and nothing was said as they watched the doctor tie off the sutures. He then started wrapping up the nasty gashes that ran vertically from the bottom of Sheldon’s collarbones, down his chest and veering off abruptly to the left before they reached the soft part of his belly. They all watched as they were hidden from view by the soft white pads and lengths of gauze, all of them realizing that if they had continued their path, Sheldon wouldn’t have been able to come back to life.

 Or worse, he would have ended up killing one or both of his mates in an effort to keep himself alive. He had a close call and no one was going to forget it for a long time to come. Nor would they forget how he had been brought back from his short time in death.

“I’m done here. You can keep him here, or you can move him. He’s out of danger now.” The doctor told them as he started packing up with the help of the nurse.

“He needs to be with his mates. They’ve been apart too long as it is.” Tootoo broke into the silence. “The closer he is with the two that pulled him from death, the faster he’ll heal and the faster we can crush the loose ends of this uprising.” He explained for the benefit of the others unaware of the customs and old legends that spoke of such things.

Task nodded. “He’s right. We need to get this over and done before anyone else gets any ideas and tries to attack when we’re regrouping and more or less leaderless.”

Lundqvist looked over at the unconscious Sheldon and moved toward him.

“Let’s go then.”

~*~*~*~*

Jose felt as if he was swimming through dark sludge. No matter how much effort he put into it, he couldn’t seem to make his way out of the murk. He felt he was drowning and had been feeling that way ever since that horrible pain had made him feel as if his eyeballs were going to burst into gelatinous goo. He knew he wasn’t conscious, but he wasn’t even sure if he was alive either. That uncertainty was what scared him, since he didn’t know if Sheldon had come back.

Sheldon! Oh God! How could he forget his Alpha?

Having been reminded of his beloved Alpha strengthened his resolve to find his way out of that thick darkness. He had to make sure that Sheldon was alive and well. Because if he wasn’t...

He pushed himself and opened his eyes, which felt as if they were made out of lead. He almost didn’t open them, but he pushed himself to do so.

And was rewarded by the sight of Sheldon lying right beside him. Although Sheldon’s face was almost as pale as old ivory and covered in cuts and bruises, he was alive. But where the hell was Ryan? Jose raised his head, despite the residual throbbing of the earlier agony and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ryan was curled up around Sheldon. He let his head fall back on the pillow and breathed a sigh of relief. His mates were with him and they were well. It was all going to be okay.

 Once he had established that, his body heated up though and it was all he could do to keep from moaning out loud in repressed sexual frustration. He had been luckier than Sid and Nicky. No one had dared to touch him, despite the massive insult that would have been to Sheldon. Their bigotry and disgust at the idea of him being Sheldon’s mate for so many years had won out in the end. He was sure that he had heard some of them muttering about the possible diseases that he might carry, after being a whore for so long.

The words had stung, but he learned to ignore them. That had been the main reason for him getting physically abused so often. They needed a reaction and when he wasn’t providing it, it drove them crazy. Physical pain only made a person hold out for a certain amount of time and once they had discovered his breaking point, they had an out to indulge their sadism and frustration.

And now, the need to be close to his Alpha and his mate was close to consuming his body completely. He hadn’t gotten any release for what felt like years, since the interlude between him and Ryan had been rudely interrupted by the rogues barging in. And now that he desperately wanted it, he wasn’t sure that he could even wake Sheldon or Ryan up. Whatever that pain that had gotten them had been, it had left all of them out cold. Jose thought that it could have been linked to Sheldon, but his brain was simply too mushy still to put two and two together.

He sighed and moved his left arm and was pleased that he was only rewarded with a dull throbbing pain than the earlier shock of misery that would have brought him to his knees if he hadn’t been lying down already. This was a good sign. Maybe he wouldn’t be out of commission for a month, as the doctor and then Ryan had murmured to him while he tried to swim through the watery haze that occupied his mind and eyesight as he was getting his injuries checked out. He was tired of being so fucking... _weak._ He knew that none of it was his fault, but it still rankled to always be the one that was coddled despite being stronger than an average human.

He made a face and pushed the old resentment aside, turning to his side and getting a big, yet pleasant surprise when Sheldon smiled at him, his eyes crinkling to mere slits in his faintly bruised face. 

“Morning, lover.” Sheldon whispered to Theo before leaning forward slightly and pressing his lips upon his first mates’. The gesture was everything he could have expected from his Alpha and he would have said so right away if it hadn’t been for him noticing Sheldon’s eyes. Despite everything passing, Sheldon’s eyes were an eerie bright green that looked like it was going to be there to stay.

 Sheldon was looking at him expectantly and Theo blinked and wet his lips as he tried to think of something to say when he was interrupted by the sight of Ryan’s head, complete with fantastic bed-head peeking over Sheldon’s shoulder. Ryan’s eyes were at half-mast and even then, Theo could see that his eyes were the same improbable green as Shel’s were. Theo then wondered if his own eyes had changed and briefly toyed with getting out of the warm nest the bed had become and taking a look in the bathroom.

That idea was quickly put on hold when Sheldon threaded his fingers through his hair and gently guided him closer.

“I still owe you. Do you remember?” Sheldon whispered huskily as he gently claimed Theo’s mouth again. He knew what Theo had been through and despite the sudden maddening need for them to physically bond, he didn’t want to push his mate. Besides, despite the almost painful corporeal need for release, he wasn’t ever going to push Theo into doing anything that he didn’t want to do. He always insisted on Theo giving clear consent whenever they did anything and that wasn’t about to change despite his body craving the re-assuring touch of his mates.

He pulled away and Theo’s expression was one of quiet bliss. Sheldon raised his head just a bit and was pleased to see that Theo’s eyes were an almost clear hazel green. His eyes had always gotten clearer whenever he was in the height of sexual desire, but the shift to green was a positive sign. It also eased the guilt that had slammed into him the minute he had woken up between his drawn-looking mates.

Pleased, he moved in again and hungrily claimed Theo’s mouth again, his hands moving from Theo’s shorn hair down to his shoulders. He traced a few lazy spirals on the skin, deepening the kiss before he traced a slow, gentle trail down his back. Theo moaned and pressed his body against Sheldon’s, letting him feel his rock hard erection against his uninjured thigh.

So lost was Sheldon in the moment that he gasped when he felt a pair of cool hands wrap themselves around his cock and balls. He gasped against Theo’s lips as Ryan moved his hand up and down his shaft while the other hand massaged his balls. Encouraged, Ryan pressed his groin against Sheldon and started to slowly grind his hips against him, making his Alpha let out a low groan full of need.

Theo shifted slightly and pulled Sheldon closer and almost bruised their lips with the intensity of the kiss he was now giving his Alpha. His right hand moved to Sheldon’s chest, his fingers brushing against his nipples, making them rock-hard. He squeezed them each before moving down and resting it on Sheldon’s hip, where he started to stroke the skin lightly, getting a moan for his efforts.

Ryan’s hands and Theo’s stroking made Sheldon’s hips jerk up in a mixture of both pain and pleasure, since the actions aggravated his left leg. It hurt, but the future pay-off made it worth it. Sheldon’s hands dropped and his head fell back to land on Ryan’s shoulder as he simply gave himself over to the administrations of his mates.

It didn’t take much longer for him to get closer and closer to coming once he surrendered. His vision was already wavering as his body turned boneless and malleable with every stroke and touch upon his flesh. He groaned and pulled away from Theo’s lips when he felt his body tighten up and over-heat as it built up and then released with such a blinding intensity that a shout was torn from his throat and his body bucked and jerked uncontrollably as it swept through him.

It took a few moments before he managed to get his bearings again and to concentrate on reciprocating the pleasure and vigour that they had renewed in him.

“Thank you.” Sheldon whispered before he slid down the bed, leaving Theo and Ryan confused and more than slightly sexually frustrated before they both got a huge surprise. Theo shouted when he felt Sheldon’s hot, wet mouth surround his cock and Ryan gasped and bit his lip when Sheldon returned the favour and started giving him a hand-job, using the pre-come of Ryan’s weeping cock . Theo blindly grabbed at Sheldon’s hair while Ryan dug his fingers into Sheldon’s forearm, claws out as he was brought closer and closer to the release that he had been desperately craving ever since he had woken up out of the deep stupor he had been sunk into earlier.

Despite the distraction of the pain Theo and Ryan were inflicting on him, Sheldon didn’t stop working his mouth and his hands on his mates. He kept at it, his jaw and wrist becoming stiff and sore as he played their bodies like instruments, pulling gasps and moans that eventually became hoarse shouts of pleasure. Although he wasn’t exactly fond of tasting semen, Sheldon gamely swallowed the hot, bitter liquid as it flooded his mouth. Once he was done, he carefully disentangled himself from the two blissed-out _loups_ and went to the bathroom to clean both the blood and semen off his hand.

Once he had finished washing his hands, he turned off the taps and looked at himself in the mirror. He was glad to see that he didn’t look like death any longer and his skin was its usual smooth coppery brown. The only thing that was out of place was the bright olive green colour of his eyes. It was unnerving, but he figured he would get used to it. He just wasn’t as sanguine about being a living exemplar of the legends the elders used to tell when he was younger.

He shook his head and peeled back the bandages on his chest. Just as he had suspected, the gashes on his chest had completely healed cleanly, the blue plastic thread being the only thing out of place.  He left the bathroom and returned to the bed, where Theo and Ryan were blinking identical green eyes at him as he climbed back into bed with them.

He kissed Theo first and then kissed Ryan before they let sleep claim then again. But Sheldon stayed awake long enough to make a mental note to visit the elders and ask exactly what was coming in regards to his resurrection and the power that all three of them held in trust.

~*~*~*~*

“All I have to say is that you’re one tough son of a bitch.” Carbonneau commented as he took his seat at the dining room table beside Sheldon, who straightened out his shirt cuffs and smiled slightly. Doan and Price looked at each other, but neither said anything.

“Yeah, well, comes with the territory. Maybe you should try having a mate or two.” Sheldon replied sardonically, while Carbonneau shook his head. “Never felt the draw, to tell you the truth.”

Sheldon shrugged and nodded at Henrik and Alex as they took their seats at the table. “I understand it’s not for everyone. Having that much power is not something to be taken lightly, that’s for sure.”

“Will this happen to everyone that takes a mate then?” Henrik asked, while Alex simply looked on with an expression that barely hid his impatience at getting the meeting started.

“I don’t know. It might, depending on how strong your mate is. We’re still doing research on why it happened and where it can happen. Theo’s talking to Tootoo, Rask and Malkin to see if there’s a connection as we speak.” Sheldon replied as he steepled his hands in front of him.

Henrik nodded and Alex cleared his throat. “We have to begin. No offense, Sheldon, but we have to get this rogue problem sorted out sooner rather than later. We have already lost time.”

“I understand your concern, so we shall begin. What have we found from the rogues?” Sheldon asked quietly.

“Well...Iginla bit Jonathan Roy.” Doan threw that tidbit out on the table right away. Sheldon’s eyes widened at the news.

“Did we find a reason why? And is the council still determined to put him on trial?”

“We didn’t have a clue until Phaneuf got a visit from Rask and Tootoo.” At this, Henrik and Alex exchanged watery grins. Although they were smaller and younger than most of the other wolves on the council, they were quite deadly. Even more so than most of the Alphas and if their awkward courting was anything to go by, they would make a strong and ruthless team of enforcers if they decided to ever make it official.

“What did they find?”Carbonneau asked as he leaned forward to better hear the reason.

“Iginla had a massive grudge against Patrick Roy, since one of his relatives bit Iginla when he was twelve. Iginla and his family tried to get some kind of settlement, but Roy’s family dismissed the situation since not all the generations turn _loup_ , despite having the gene for it.” Price replied as he looked down at the messily scribbled notes he had spread out in front of him and Doan.

Sheldon frowned at that. “So he bit Jonathan and just set him loose to create chaos in my territory as revenge for having had that happen to him without his consent.”

Doan and Price nodded. “He figured that Jonathan would at least kill someone and force us to kill him. He didn’t just want revenge. He wanted to completely destroy Roy by taking away what he values the most in the world.”

Alex frowned. “How did Jonathan not notice he had been bitten though? You told us he was completely _unaware_ when he did change and bit Miller. So he must have been bitten earlier and I know when Thornton bit Evgeni, he turned within the day. It is not making sense to me.”

Sheldon and Henrik simply stared at him. Well, _that_ explained why Thornton and Nabokov ended up mated. Mystery solved.

“Your guess is as good as mine on that. Theo’s got some ideas, but he hasn’t said anything about it yet. But the one thing I do know is that delay saved him and also fucked up Iginla’s plans. If it had all worked out, Sheldon would have been distracted and Iginla could have created havoc here.” Doan replied as he pulled out a sheet from under Price’s notes and skimmed it quickly.

“He had Avery and Pronger tapped to mess around in the East on his mark, but changed his plans when Jonathan turned out to be his weak link. He figured that if he created a civil war, he could kill two birds with one stone.” He reported and slid the sheet back to Price, who gave him a look and started to shuffle the pages in some semblance of order.

“So...he really didn’t give a fuck about the supposed class divisions. He just wanted to create anarchy and destroy the society he had been forced to join and fuck the collateral damage.” Carbonneau mused, making Sheldon glower and the European Alpha’s look completely disgusted.

“There’s always one in every crowd.” Price muttered tartly, making Carbonneau snort in laughter at the unexpected, but apt remark.

“What is to be done about his followers? The ones who are alive, at any rate?” Henrik asked after Carbonneau got himself under control again.

“Exile to different territories, or visits from Rask, Tootoo, and Cheechoo since those kids know how to put the fear of God into anyone they come across. The councils have been in contact and we have all decided to put them under watch for two years, since it’s not like out numbers are booming out there. One wrong move and the enforcers get them.” Doan replied as he pushed copies of the agreements that he and the different councils had prepared earlier towards the Alphas.

Sheldon skimmed the agreement before he looked up at Carbonneau, Henrik and Alex.

“Before we sign this, I have a proposal: Since we came this close to a civil war...would the councils and Alpha’s be in agreement to keep the lines of communication open and have ambassadors in their territories? I mean, we already have different wolves and loups scattered all over. It would just be a matter of picking a reliable one to serve in the different courts.”

Carbonneau looked down at the agreement before he nodded. “I won’t be the Regent after this, and even though Leclaire is a good kid, it wouldn’t hurt to prevent anything like this happening in the future.  We are the weakest council and have the least power. We can’t afford it to ever occur again. I’ll look over the lists and give you candidates.”

Henrik and Alex looked at each other, had a low-voiced and furious discussion that everyone else politely ignored before they both nodded in terse agreement.

 “We need to communicate more often than at the Solstice celebrations. We nearly lost our mates and our numbers and power are not what we would like them to be. If we were to have an actual civil war, we’d be fairly close to becoming extinct. We agree with the proposal.”

Sheldon nodded and Doan and Price noted everything down before passing out pens for everyone to sign the earlier agreement.

“It’s done then.” He commented quietly, effectively closing the meeting and sealing the new alliance between the councils.

~*~*~*~*~

Jose sat on one of the plastic lawn chairs and slowly sipped from the coffee that he had fixed himself the minute he had woken up out of the languorous stupor that Sheldon had put him in. He knew the meeting was going on, but knew that Sheldon had wanted for him and Ryan to rest. He was both grateful and touched at his Alpha’s considerate actions and didn’t think much of it. He also knew that it was about time that he let Price take over some of the council duties, since he would have a larger role to play due to his hereditary status on the council.

He shrugged and took another mouthful of coffee and looked up at the sky. No matter how many times he was in Edmonton, he never got over how blue the sky could get and how bright the sun shone despite it being a chilly day. It was quite different from the east that was for sure. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the frigid sunshine when he felt someone press a kiss on his forehead.

He opened his eyes and smiled at the sight of Sheldon hovering over him.

“Hey.” He whispered as his Alpha pulled up another chair and sat beside him.

“Where’s Ryan?” he asked as he lightly touched Jose’s left hand.

“He decided to take a shower after he woke up.” Jose replied, putting his cup down on the dry grass of the backyard.

“Okay.” Sheldon replied and moved closer to his first mate and lightly nipped at his earlobe.

“How is he about everything?” he asked as he kissed Jose’s jaw line.

“We spoke, before everything happened. I think that even though it’s something unusual...he’s accepted his life has changed and that there are two more people he’s going to share it with.”

Sheldon nodded. He knew it was hard for the bitten to get used to and eventually accept their new lives. Just like Jonathan, Ryan had been pulled into a world he wasn’t supposed to know or ever have a part of. He knew that there would be things that would be difficult to deal with and understand, but at least he wasn’t alone. Neither of them would be and that was at least a small consolation in all that had occurred.

“How are you feeling?” Sheldon whispered before planting a kiss on the side of Jose’s neck, making the other loup moan in appreciation before tilting his head back to give him more access.

“Almost perfect and believe me, I’m not complaining. I’m just...confused as to why and how it happened.” Jose replied. Sheldon pulled away slightly and looked into Jose’s eyes, which were an ever shifting-hazel instead of the light honey brown of before.

“There are stories that state that once mated, we can draw power from each other. The deeper the connection, the more power we get from each other. The eye colour change is the indicator of that. That’s also what kept me from dying, since I ended up pulling power from both of you to come back.”

Jose nodded and pushed that memory away. It wasn’t the pain that he had endured that made him shy away from that particular remembrance, but rather how close he and Ryan had come to losing Sheldon. “But why didn’t your eyes change that much when we bonded?”

Sheldon’s mouth thinned. “You didn’t have enough power on your own. And when we bonded...our emotions weren’t...well, in the right place, per say.” He looked away before he continued. Even though he had proven the depths of his love over and over again to Jose, he still felt horribly guilty at the words he had spoken before they bonded. He had meant them at the time, but it still didn’t stop him from feeling the prick of guilt at how callous and insensitive he had sounded when he recalled them.

“We later fell in love, but Ryan became a catalyst. He’s got enough power to be a lower level Alpha and from what Cheechoo told me, his power and his desire for both of us deepened everything we had.” Jose took a bit to digest this bit of information that had been missing from his own research.

“How much power do we hold?” he asked, not sure how to take the information he had just been given.

“Together...enough to make the councils nervous and want to play nice. Separately...enough for you to live alone if you wish and not have to worry about having someone try and come after you anymore.” Sheldon replied softly. Jose shook his head after being silent for several minutes.

“I would have loved that offer when I was fifteen and alone. But at thirty-three...”he trailed off and shook his head. “I have you. And Ryan. It’s not important anymore.” With that, Jose leaned over and kissed him deeply, his hands intertwining in Sheldon’s hair as he let himself be lost in the kiss.

“You’re going to share, right?” Ryan’s voice interrupted them.

Sheldon raised an eyebrow as Ryan pulled out his own chair and placed it directly in front of Sheldon and Jose’s.

“As if you had to ask.” He answered before he pulled him into a steamy kiss that was ended when Jose pulled him away to give him more of the same.

“Damn...if I had any doubts...they sure would be gone by now.” Was all the said as he sat back in his chair and picked up the two cups of coffee that he had brought out earlier and handed one to Sheldon before taking his own.

“Good to know.” Jose replied as he picked up his cup. Sheldon laughed softly and sipped from his coffee while Ryan did the same. Neither of them spoke as they drank their coffee and enjoyed each other’s company. There was nothing else to say. It was all understood.

End.


End file.
